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The Stephen Schwartz musical that never made Broadway coming to Hopkinton this weekend
His "Wicked" and "Pippin" were smash hits on Broadway. Now Stephen Schwartz's "Children of Eden" comes to life at Hopkinton Middle School.
Steven Schwartz is best known for his musical success on Broadway; if you haven’t heard of “Pippin” and “Godspell,” maybe you’ve heard of a little show called “Wicked.”
But one of Schwartz’s most popular musicals never made it to Broadway at all.
“Children of Eden,” which Schwartz composed in 1991, enjoyed a brief run on London’s equivalent of Broadway, but it never played in New York City, instead amassing a grass-roots popularity on stages at American schools and churches.
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The show, loosely based on stories from the Book of Genesis, will be presented by the Drama Club of Hopkinton Middle School April 28-30.
Directed by Hallyann Gifford, the two-act show will feature a cast and crew of nearly 100 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders playing the role of familiar Bible characters such as Adam, Eve, Cain, Able and Noah. Hopkinton Middle School teacher Chuck Rockwood will play the role of Father, the creator.
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The breadth of animals depicted in the song “The Naming” is one reason “Children of Eden” never made it to Broadway, Schwartz has said. In that song, Adam and Eve assist Father in naming every animal, from the addax (a type of antelope) to the aye-aye (a type of lemur) to the fabled unicorn.
On his website, the composer explains that the cost of a choir and a menagerie required for “The Naming” was too prohibitive for a New York run. “Perhaps one day, a Broadway production will happen, but ‘til then, I remained delighted that it is done so often and so well elsewhere,” Schwartz said.
MetroWest residents have three chances to see the show close to home.
Performances will be at 7 p.m. April 28 and 29, and at 2 p.m. April 30, at the Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium, 88 Hayden Rowe Street.
Tickets, available at the door, are $12 for adults and $10 for students, but senior citizens will be admitted free. Adults and students can receive a $2 discount per ticket by donating a new, unused school supply, toy or children’s clothing item to Project Just Because.