By Front Row Reviewers Staff
The Diaries of Adam and Eve currently plays at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, Utah and is a fun, entertaining, and surprisingly touching piece. It plays through August 21, 2021 on Monday, Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 PM.
At first, Adam is puzzled by the new arrival in the garden and he is suspicious of her disturbing appetite for fruit. Eve, believing herself to be some sort of experiment, is curious about another experiment in the garden, perhaps some sort of reptile or possibly architecture. Eve gives names to everything, much to Adam’s annoyance. He tries to ignore her, so she seeks companionship among the animals, particularly with a certain snake. Adam and Eve grow to love each other and, in the end, an elderly Adam is filled with a realization of that love as he stands at Eve’s grave.
A note from Director Lynne Bronson:
When I first read The Diaries of Adam and Eve, I hadn’t a clue how these words, written a century ago by Mark Twain, would affect me. As diary entries, they are fun and intriguing. As a play, there didn’t seem to be enough visual relationship between the characters. I was a little confused how I could bring the relationship of the first couple alive onstage. Luckily, with the help of a well-read stage manager (Rebecca (RJ) Smith), and two young, eager actors, we found a way.
There are three story arcs: the first is the growth of Adam (Braeden Anderson), the second of Eve (Kelly Musgrave), and the third arc is the growth of their relationship and how it impacts their lives. Adam begins as a boy studying out his world, having adventures and being very annoyed when Eve comes to the garden. As the story progresses, Adam grows up a bit and finds good things about Eve, maybe even comes to care about her a little bit. After the Fall, we see even more growth as Adam deals with the hardships of mortal life outside the Garden. In the end, the relationship between Adam and Eve is the crux of Adam’s heart and mind and soul. She has become his Eden. Eve’s arc is similar. She begins as a youthful, lighthearted girl who likes naming the animals, talking, and Adam. Her story resembles the story of a million young women who want to be loved. Eve’s arc takes the shape of motherhood, responsibility to her family, and figuring out why she loves. Eve’s growth comes to a climax when she is old and she realizes that what she has had with Adam has been fulfilling and wonderful. She is the world’s first wife, and in the end she will be repeated by the millions of women who are willing and blessed to love.
Production Crew: Costume Designer–Chelsea Mortensen, Technical Director–Pam Cluff, Sound Design–Robert Seeley, Scenic Artist–Sophie (REM) White.
The Covey Center for the Arts presents The Diaries of Adam and Eve, by Mark Twain, Adapted by David Birney.
The Covey Center for the Arts, Black Box Theater (second floor), 425 W Center St., Provo, Utah 84601
Tickets: $14 Students and Seniors; $16 General Public
Contact: 801-852-7007
Covey Center for the Arts Facebook Page
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