Theater Review: 'Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam & Eve" at Legacy

By Nancy Sasso Janis

The Legacy Theatre is offering a production of “Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam & Eve,” a play written by David Birney and Mark Twain. Set in the Garden of Eden “In the Beginning,” the first two members of the human race read aloud from their personal diaries during the years of their lives together.

The two person play requires the Equity actors to master a huge amount of lines, written in the style of Mark Twain. On the surface, this is a light hearted look at the earth’s first love story, but it also poignantly includes the world’s first loss. The adaptation retains Twain’s humor and wit in this uniquely American take on the first story from the book of Genesis. Given the source material, I found that the show treads lightly on the religious aspects.

Keely Baisden Knudsen, the Legacy’s Artistic Director and Co-Founder, directs the first Mainstage production of their fourth season. She notes in her program letter that this witty commentary is “so relevant to the human condition. Exploring discovery, what it is to be in the first relationship, and dynamics unique to ‘getting along’ are particularly charming in this text.”
Rob Brogan takes on the role of Adam, and does especially well with the humor in his role as the first man. Brogan has appeared on Broadway in “Mauritius” and was also part of the national tour of “Once.”

Mariah Sage returns to Legacy to play the role of Eve. Her character takes on the task of naming the creatures on the earth, sometimes with funny humor. Sage recently played Jocasta in Legacy’s “Oedipus Rex” and Annie in “The Play That Goes Wrong,” and has also worked at Yale Rep, Ivoryton Playhouse and Valley Shakespeare Festival.

The understudies ready to perform are Jonathan Onyango and Christine Voytko.

Props were designed by Colleen Callahan and two costumes per actor were designed by Elizabeth Bolster. They merely suggest the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Bolster has been the Wardrobe Supervisor at Yale Rep since 2002.

The scenic design by Jamie Burnett is an inspired rendition of the biblical Garden of Eden, cheekily renamed Niagara Falls Park by Eve. It is lush, detailed and quite beautiful. The set includes a mini version of the Falls, that is turned off at one point and then restarted, and there is some well-timed haze.

The beautiful garden transforms when Eve yields to temptation and eats the forbidden fruit. After the fall, imaginative changes are made to the large tree as confetti falls to the stage . Burnett also designed the lighting for the production, which spreads beyond the stage area onto the house left wall with heavenly projections. It is a very effective touch.

In what is a unique play, there is some incidental music that fits the piece and the sound of birds, as well as the suggestion of a couple of animals.

The production is performed without an intermission and runs about 90 minutes. The theater is located at 128 Thimble Island Rd. in Branford and there are two small parking lots located within walking distance that are marked with Legacy signs.

"Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve" plays at Legacy Theatre through June 16, Thursdays-Sundays. Tickets are on sale now through the Box Office at (203) 315-1901 or legacytheatrect.org/adam-eve.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been reviewing theatrical productions since 2012.