Falling For Eve

Scene 1: God (He) celebrates creating the world, singing “God, it’s good to be Me” backed up by angels Michael and Sarah, then realizes the world is still missing something.  To finish up creation, he then creates Adam, an “angel of the earth,” and gives him Eden, a paradise, to call home.  Adam calls God back, who appears in female form—God (She)—and Adam tell her that paradise is just a bit “boring.”  God (She) realizes her mistake and creates Eve to keep Adam company.  As she leaves, God (She) is so touched by their beauty and sweetness that she gives them a gift: the capacity to love, through which they will create all the rest of the angels of the earth.  However, God realizes that her plans are dead in their tracks when Adam’s and Eve’s first kiss is way too innocent to lead to procreation. God muses, “Perhaps innocence isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Scene 2: Night in the Garden of Eden.  God (He) catches Eve looking out at the desolation beyond the garden.  When a sparrow flies out past the borders, Eve asks God what’s beyond Eden, a question that troubles God.  He realizes that Adam and Eve are “only human” and are going to need some help getting the human race going.  He therefore gives Adam and Eve a second gift: choice – and puts the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden.  As they drift off to sleep, Eve and then Adam obsess over the new tree.  Why would God put a tree in their midst and tell them not to eat the fruit?  However, Adam and Eve withstand temptation and settle down to sleep.  The angels Michael and Sarah commend God for how obedient Adam and Eve are for withstanding temptation, but God replies, “They haven’t been tempted enough.”  He sends Michael and Sarah back to Adam and Eve to tempt them further, telling them to “act like a bit of snake.”  Michael and Sarah tempt Adam and Eve singing “I’ve Got Plans For You,” and Eve, getting caught up in the moment, bites the apple.  Then Adam…doesn’t.  Suddenly creation is way off track.  God (She) realizes she has to be true to her word and casts Eve out of the paradise, leaving Adam alone in Eden.

Scene 3:  Eve, finding herself alone in the brutal world of mortality, sings “Where Will I Sleep Tonight?”  She cuts her hand on a jagged rock and sees, for the first time, blood drip from the wound.  She realizes she is no longer of the heavens, but of the earth.

Scene 4:  In the heavens, Sarah and Michael are dumbfounded.  “She didn’t eat the freakin’ apple,” Sarah says.  They go to God and singing, “Now What?”  In response, God (She) goes to Adam and tells him that because Eve is mortal, she will feel the pain of loneliness more profoundly and will soon return.

Scene 5:  Curious, Sarah returns to Earth and finds Eve.  She asks Eve about what it was like to bite the apple, but all Eve wants is to see Adam again.  Eve asks Sarah for help, but Sarah refuses, saying they’re not allowed.  Eve tells Sarah she’ll describe what the apple tasted like if she’ll help her.  Sarah takes Eve to a place where can see Adam, but can’t speak to him.  The three sing, “There’s a Space Next to Me,” describing Adam’s loneliness, Eve’s regret and Sarah’s curiosity about being human.  God (She) appears and breaks up the meeting.  She tries to cheer up Adam, telling him that once things are sorted out, the world will get back on track, singing “Good Things Are A’ Comin.’”

Scene 6:  Eve begins to explore the wonders of the world, discovering mountains, seasons, and oceans.  As she travels and her knowledge expands, she begins to realize that perhaps Eden isn’t paradise after all; perhaps this world is.

Scene 7:  In the heavens, Michael and Sarah point out to God that it’s been twenty-one years since Eve left, and she’s becoming less interested in coming back to Eden.  At his wits end, God goes Adam with a plan to fix things: he’ll make Adam a new woman to take Eve’s place, saying, “I will give unto thee a new woman.  And her name shall be…Nicole.”  At first, Adam’s thrilled with the idea, but as he describes exactly what he wants, it becomes clear that no other woman, not even Nicole, can take the place of Eve.

Scene 8:  God, fed up with the whole problem, ponders the possibility of just destroying them…then, seeing Eve in pain, decides against it and goes to her. At first, God is surprised when she looks in Eve’s face.  “You’re the first person who’s aged,” God says.  God tells Eve if she’ll repent, she’ll let Eve back into the garden.  While she still doesn’t understand the whole point of putting a fruit in the garden for them not to eat, Eve tells God she’s sorry, and God lets her return to Eden.  Eve joyously rejoins Adam in the garden.  At first they’re thrilled to be together again, but when Eve asks Adam to kiss her, the distance between them becomes apparent.  Eve needs the passion of an earthly love, something Adam still doesn’t understand.  “Oh, Adam, they things I know now, and the things you don’t.”  Eve realizes she can no longer stay in Eden and leaves. Adam angrily calls for God, who, despite the urging of Michael and Sarah, refuses to answer him.  “I’ve done all I can,” God says.  Finally, Michael and Sarah have had enough, they go to Adam and tell him, “Adam, you’ve got to bite the apple so the human race can start.”  When he asks them why, they tell him, “Because we’re in love,” and until they can have human bodies like Eve’s they can only love in an angelic, ethereal, boring way.  “But you’ll die if you do,” Adam tells them, then asks, “You’d actually be willing to sacrifice that for each other?”  “No,” they say, “we’d be willing to sacrifice more.” Adam finally realizes he needs Eve more than obeying God and more than the safety of the garden and bites the apple.  He immediately feels the weight of mortality and the heartache of missing Eve for twenty-one years. Overcome, he rushes to find her.  When he does, Eve tells Adam, “Oh, Adam, I’ve figured out that paradise isn’t in Eden.  Paradise is out here in the world.” Adam answers, “No Eve, you’re wrong,” and as the lights dim on the worlds’ first two lovers, he sings, “Paradise is you.”

With the original New York cast, two general principles were applied when casting choices were made: (1) all characters should be young and beautiful (the thinking being that if God were to choose any form in which to appear, he/she would be young and gorgeous) and (2) the cast should, as much as possible, be multi-ethnic, reflecting the family of man.

ADAM:  The first guy.  As young as possible (late teens, early twenties.) Very attractive.

EVE:  The first girl.  Also as young as possible, but able to gracefully and believably age to about forty through the course of the play.  Also beautiful.

GOD/HE:  A young man.

GOD/SHE:   A young woman (preferably a different ethnicity than the actor playing GOD/HE).

SARAH:  An angel.  Young woman.

MICHAEL:  Another angel.  As young as the others.

Note: While the show works very well vocally with the six vocalists described above, should the producers desire, the addition of an “angel chorus” to back up vocals and facilitate the production is also a possibility, and can offer additional performance opportunities and a bigger, more “celestial” sound.

5 Musicians

Piano/Conductor (Keyboard)

Reed (Flute, Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Oboe, Alto Sax, Castanets)

Guitar (Electric)

Bass

Percussion (Drum Set, Glockenspiel, Cymbal, Bell, Wood Block, Finger Cymbal, Bongo, Congas, Mark Tree, Triangle, Timpani, Wind Chimes, Tribal drums)