15th August 2025
Steel Magnolias
The Phoenix Players, Trinity Theatre, Southsea
Children of Eden
Author: M. Coltman
Information
- Date
- 12th July 2025
- Society
- SOS Presents
- Venue
- MAST Studio, Southampton
- Type of Production
- Musical
- Director
- Adam Myers
- Musical Director
- Amy Wardle
- Choreographer
- Zoie Golding MBE
- Written By
- John Caird and Stephen Schwartz
Children of Eden book is by John Caird, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Based on a concept by Charles Lisanby, and Orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin & Martin Erskine.
Director Adam Myers has an excellent cast for this production. It was sensational, the singing was very strong, looked after by Amy Wardle as Musical Director, and all the dancing and movement was just right under the Choreographer Zoie Golding. The show take place over two acts, the first is set in the Garden of Eden, the second around the building and sailing of Noah's Ark.
The costumes are just right, there were some excellent imagative graphics that were used really well with the simple set, the lighting was also effective, so this covers right from the beginning of time to the end of the great flood.
Mike Pavitt playing Father, is very impressive every time he comes on stage, he has great stage presence and a great voice. The main cast have two different parts to play in each half. Liam Baker plays Adam & Noah and Sophie Barnard plays Eve & Mama, they work very well together, with Love and Fear in Act 1 and trying to keep the animals and family together in Act 2. Kenny Adegbola plays Cain & Japheth along with Nick Hallen playing Abel & Ham. In Act 1 the brothers fight against each other, and in Act 2 they are happy with their wives and lives aboard the Ark. Felix Gilham plays Seth & Shem he come in towards the end of Act 1, and has a wife in Act 2. The wives are played by Lara Almeida as Yonah, Freya Golding as Aphra and Eva McManus as Aysha. They too all work well together. I also liked George Laidlaw as the Snake with his attached body of the snake ensemble, this was very well done. The other ensemble are the storytellers, the children were also great as the younger Cain & Abel. I saw Jason Talaba & Emmett Edwards-Baker, but Sam Disney & Harry Hughes play the same parts on alternate shows.
Everyone really enjoyed themselves and this really came across. This show was well worth seeing. Well done to you all.
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