“Generations” of Fans

So this afternoon I had the pleasure of attending one of the main-stage performances at Ithaca College called Children of Eden, and it was good. In fact it was very good. But how could I, or any other play-goer in the Ithaca area go wrong with this performance based on Genesis with the music and lyrics done by Stephen Schwartz. Not only has Schwartz brought us the (creepy) biblical Godspell adaptation of the gospel of Matthew, but he has also brought the world the play Wicked, and the film scores to The Prince of Egypt, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Contrary to many of the clearly fantastical fandoms that Kristin and I have been blogging about, play going can be more realistic in subject matter. Children of Eden, for instance, is based on the “fact” of the bible. But plays through the visual and auditory aspects of plays envelop the audience in the story. Live performances are one of the best ways for fans to surround themselves in their play.

In the case of Children of Eden, I had no idea how much I wanted this for this play. Granted I’ve been to my fair share of Shakespeare performances, and I know what to expect. This play, I went in blind to what it was going to be about. From the very first song, “Let There Be“, I was drawn into a story I am very familiar with. Only this time, the show brought emotions to me that the reading of Genesis every Easter does not do. This is what draws play “fans” in time after time. Otherwise, why waste the money and the time to sit behind that tall guy in the hat to see something uninteresting.

–Lizzy

Advertisement