‘Ain’t it Good’ to see talent

By Rachel Gabbard

Staff Writer

Newswire Photo By Shane Hughes

Left to Right: Michelle Anguiano (Eve), Justin Hanks (Father) and Alex Rogers (Adam) in “Children of Eden.”

The Gallagher Student Center Theater was taken over by notorious figures this past weekend. To be exact, God, accompanied by Adam, Eve and a sassy (yet elegantly-dressed) snake graced the stage among several others from the book of Genesis to put a witty spin on some well-known biblical stories.

The musical was directed by Danny Manning, who also conducted the orchestra, which complimented the vocals throughout the show.

Although the majority of the show was performed through song, the constant singing was not overwhelming considering the vocals were, for the most part, pretty impressive.

Stealing the spotlight, sophomore Justin Hanks, playing the role of Father, stood out with his voice. His obvious passion for performing was brought to life in “Children of Eden.”

It would be a grave injustice not to recognize the ladies of the show who blew me away with both the strength and range of their voices. Senior Michelle Anguiano, who played the role of Eve in act one and Noah’s wife in act two, left me with my jaw on the floor during more than a few numbers. In particular, during a soulful number entitled “Ain’t it Good,” Anguiano ensured the audience she has much talent.

Freshman Emily Hollowell, who played Yonah during the second act, also made an impression with her powerful vocals during several solos.

However, it wasn’t just the women of “Children of Eden” who stole the spotlight. The men displayed an equally impressive talent for singing. My favorite was sophomore Michael Platt who played the roles of Abel and Ham.

Though Platt did not receive as much of an opportunity as some of the other actors to show off his voice, those moments that he did take center stage were outstanding.

With musicals, however, vocals aren’t the only thing that can make or break a show. Dancing also plays a major role in the overall effect. In this case it wasn’t great.

It may be due to the difficulty of having to sing and dance at the same time, but the dance moves didn’t flow well. I expected the dancing to be a bit more synchronized considering the simplicity of the choreography.

However, even though the choreography wasn’t very complicated, the dancers were challenged to pick up more than a few different styles of dance.

Everything from Broadway to jazz was included, with even the snake (made up of six actors) doing a few tap steps. Several scenes focused on tribal dancing and almost appeared to turn into Bollywood style at one point.

However, the dancing was easy to overlook because the play itself was so enjoyable. Not only were the actors talented, but several of the scenes were really incredible to watch because of the elaborate costumes and props.

My favorite by far was the scene in which the animals boarded Noah’s Ark during the second act. The animal costumes were so elaborate that it was really a sight to behold. The giraffes almost seemed life-size since the actors were on stilts and the costumes themselves were gigantic. The turtles were also enjoyable to watch as they awkwardly rolled across the stage onto the ark.

Overall, “Children of Eden” was a lot of fun. The play cleverly combined both comedic and emotionally-stirring plot elements and was skillfully acted. The storyline was engaging throughout the entire performance. I constantly found myself either laughing after a witty line or in awe at a performer’s incredible vocals.

The cast and crew should be very happy with the outcome of their hard work. Coming from a critic who is not typically amused by musicals, I found the play to be very enjoyable with my only advice being to work on those dance moves.

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