Children of Eden Tickets

Granted I never took a particular interest in the Broadway/Musical genre myself (though of course there are certain musicals that I adore), but I was a music major and taught music in school ranging from middle school through college for around 8 years, and yet I have to admit that I don't recall ever hearing about this one. If so, only in passing. Well, it turned out to be a great selection! I enjoyed both the music and the story line. I also very much enjoyed the quality of the performance. I went to watch and support a friend, and discovered that she was among a VERY talented cast. Every element of this production - the selection of the show itself, the quality of singing, acting and dancing from the cast, the choreography, the quality of the pit orchestra, the lighting.... It was a great production. For any of you who get invited by a kid, a friend's kid, a student, whatever, to one of these productions, I would offer that if future productions from beyondEDUCATION are anywhere near the quality of this one, you're in for a treat that in retrospect you would've enjoyed seeing even if you didn't know anyone involved in the show. As someone who ended up particularly enjoying teaching voice during his time in music education, I've often lamented how commonly if not routinely Opera and the more dynamic/louder moments of Spirituals are sung with unnatural and therefore unhealthy technique to the baffling delight of most audiences (a Gospel/Spiritual style song, the average singer sooner or later proceeds to basically scream at which point everybody gets up and cheers - or "The Broadway Belt", tasteless destroyer of vocal chords). Within the genres that utilized trained voices, the BEST singers know how to use their voices naturally and without strain, in cooperation with their bodies. They do not "belt", nor do they get that "Kermit The Frog" type of sound (most common in Opera and Country, it seems) caused by the throat constriction of their tongue being too far back when they sing, nor are they overly nasal which can be the case in modern Broadway approach. Well this one Asian young lady in the cast whose voice very much caught my attention in particular during a moment in the first half of the show was much further utilized in the second half of the show, and I was absolutely delighted in how she handled a particular song of Spiritual flavorings in its style. Everything she did vocally was VERY well done, her singing possessing intelligent natural technique as well as tasteful emotional expression. Well-placed moments of powerful projection without belting, pure clear sound without even the hint of a "frog" in there. There were several particularly talented young singers in the show that not only avoided the cliche flaws I mentioned above but genuinely shined in what they did, so I don't mean to slight by not highlighting them as well (I'm already writing a book here). However, given the style of selections her role involved, I was particularly impressed with how that one young lady handled her voice so consistently well throughout. Not just talent, but talent wielded masterfully.

This is the second show directed by Alexander Diaz that we have seen. We were not disappointed. The music was wonderful, pulling you along an emotional roller-coaster. My family and I often find ourselves singing tidbits of the songs (we'd sing more if we knew the words). There were some very convincing moments when I wanted to applaud the amazing vocals I just heard but the scene was so intense that I just held my breath waiting for the next scene. I appreciated the injections of whimsy to balance out those intense moments. Very creative use of set and scenery. It was not overly elaborate or distracting. The costumes, on the other hand, were very elaborate, colorful and beautiful. Obviously Father's, Adam's, and Eve's costumes couldn't be over-the-top but the costume designer brilliantly opted to infuse color into all of the other costumes. I find costumes depicting ancient biblical times are usually devoid of such color. The animal costumes were gorgeous! The young children playing the animals were adorable, drawing lots of "Aww"s from the audience. I often like to try to recast the characters in a story to see if I can come up with better matches for their voices or personalities. I could not do that with any of the characters in this play. I couldn't imagine a better Father, Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah and his wife, Japheth, or Yonah. The choreography was beautiful and meaningful, enriching the storyline instead of being set apart as distinct dance numbers. I know that Children of Eden is only running until Sunday but if they ever decided to do an encore performance, my family, friends and I would definitely be there to see it!

Absolutely awesome performance of Children of Eden. GREAT voices--well-staged!! Sorry that it was not sufficiently publicized.

This was an AMAZING show!!! It is by far the BEST Children of Eden I have ever seen! It belongs on Broadway! The cast and orchestra are unbelievable! Stephen Schwartz would be so proud!!! It is a wonderful play to take the whole family to. The music is beautiful, the acting is incredible - the artistic team for this show truly hit a home run!!!! I wish more publicity had been done for this show, because Kansas City does not know what it is missing by not attending. Hopefully, the word will spread regarding how incredible this show is! They received a standing ovation at the end of the show, and it was well worth it! I am planning to attend this show again - and take some more friends and family.

This was an amzaing show! The show was extremely moving and so well performed! This is a MUST see!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Symphonic premiere of Children of Eden! The music was wonderful, and what a timeless, touching story. The singers were top-notch, especially Nathan Granner as "Father." The addition of a full orchestra added so much to the texture and fullness of the musical experience. Don't miss this excellent performance!