Here's my review of BYU's current show, which is religiously themed and is particularly interesting from an LDS standpoint (that's my justification for posting it here. :))

"Children of Eden" -- BYU (Nov. 17 -- Dec. 4, 1999)
By ERIC D. SNIDER
The Daily Herald

Combining singing, dancing and acting in a way BYU has not done in years, "Children of Eden" is an emotional, exuberant piece that leaves its audience in high spirits -- a truly uplifting work that entertains as well as it enlightens.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz ("Pippin," "Godspell," Disney's "Pocahontas" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame") and book by John Caird, "Children of Eden" uses biblical stories -- mixed with clever humor and joyful light-heartedness -- to present universal truths about family and children.

The first act deals with Father (Dallyn Bayles) -- he's not called "God" until the second act -- creating the Earth and Adam (Matthew Herrick) and Eve (Joy Rodgers Gardner) with it. His reason for wanting kids? "They will keep me company, they will keep me young," Bayles sings as the Father, his rich, powerful voice booming with authority and love.

There's a reason they avoid calling him "God": He's not quite perfect. He's more a parental prototype, the First Dad: Adam and Eve are later heard to tell Cain (Jason Celaya) and Abel (Paul Canaan) the exact things that Father once said to them, and to make some of the same mistakes.

Herrick and Gardner have stunning voices, and their fumbling to be good parents is achingly poignant. This is the only show in recent memory that had audience members already crying by intermission, instead of just at the very end.

The second act begins with a decidedly lighter tone, and while it gets more serious as time goes on, it never reaches the heights (or depths, if you will) of emotional heartache that Act One had. This is not a flaw, however; in fact, it's better that way, what with Act One being so overwhelming.

Act Two has Noah (Norris Chappell, Jr.) dealing with a rebellious son: Japheth (Carlos L. Encinias) insists on marrying outside the faith. (In the Bible, it was Ham who did this, and while all the other liberties taken with the Genesis account are fine in the context of story-telling and artistic license, this one seems strangely arbitrary.)

It is Noah who learns what the parents all along have been reaching toward: that while they want their children to be happy, they have to let go and let them make their own mistakes. The Father character learns this, too, and the show's finale is transcendently powerful, as is the whole show.

A talented cast of dancers and singers perform as supporting characters, animals and pieces of scenery, and they do it with fantastic grace and fluidity. From the show's first moment until the last, there is movement and beauty all over the stage. For once it is difficult to say which element of the show is most accomplished: the acting (directed by Tim Threlfall), the singing (music director Randy Boothe) or the choreography (by Rebecca Wright Phillips). All are breath-takingly magnificent, and blend together in a manner rarely seen in this valley.

"Children of Eden" is easily among the top five shows produced anywhere in Utah this year. See it, and prepare to be blown away.

That's the review as it will appear in The Daily Herald this Friday. If I'd had more space, I would have talked about the religious implications -- or more specifically, the possibility of controversy with this show. It takes a light-hearted approach to some biblical themes, and it presents "God" as someone who is learning and growing like all fathers are. It was feared by some that this would upset the highly conservative Utah Valley/BYU audiences.

There was no reason for it to offend anyone. The show does not mean to suggest God is fallible. It merely uses biblical themes and characters as the context for presenting universal truths about parenting and human nature in general. The fact that one of those characters is God may sound offensive, but anyone seeing the show can plainly see that it's not meant to be.

And I think the fears can be laid to rest anyway: Saturday night's performance got an enthusiastic standing ovation. Obviously, the crowd "got" the show.

It's a wonderful show, from a religious standpoint as well as from a strictly artistic standpoint. BYU has not done a show that so beautifully blended strong singing, dancing and acting in years.

That's my two cents' worth, anyway. I'd be curious to know what others thought of the show.

Eric D. Snider