By Cal
Link: https://www.redbulltheater.com/paradise-lost
Available until: Saturday 1st May at 12.30am (UK); Friday 30th April at 7pm (EST).
It seems more than two weeks since Part 1 aired, but seeing the characters onscreen again helped to jog my memory almost straight away.
Adam and Eve are living happily in the Garden of Eden, but someone has a plan to ruin it. Adam senses that all is not completely right with Eve, and the Father (God), fearing their disobedience, sends Raphael, one of His best angels, to have a word.
John Milton’s poem, here adapted by Michael Barakiva, who also directs this production, doesn’t try to make things too obvious. Of course, it is obvious because most people know what happened, but there are moments when other decisions could have been made. It’s interesting because it gives Adam and Eve more depths as characters, but also because it makes you wonder what would have happened to the couple next if Satan hadn’t had things his own way. Would he have tried again in different ways and kept trying until he was successful? Would one failed attempt have led to some sort of reaction from the Father to arm Adam and Eve with just enough knowledge? And if He did, could He have got it wrong?
There are so many different possibilities, yet it is very difficult to blame Adam and Eve for what happened because if they’d stayed innocently in the garden forever, I’m not sure what that would have meant for all the billions of humans who have inhabited the Earth since then. While there might be more evidence to support Darwin’s Theory of Evolution as the origin of human beings, the thought of Eve ignoring the serpent and me potentially not existing isn’t an overly nice thought.
Part 2, as the title suggests, has more of a focus on the couple in the garden and they develop wonderfully as characters. The change in Eve in particular is startling and brilliantly-portrayed by Gisela Chípe. She goes from being innocently happy to gaining more knowledge and questioning things. She becomes more animated and more intelligent. The thoughts keep flowing through her brain. She also develops more emotionally and shows many emotions in response to the things that happen to her.
Sheldon Best is also excellent at Adam, initially shocked by Eve and actually worried by what’s happening to them – and what will happen. But he changes too. Although he doesn’t agree with Eve about everything, he too develops the ability to think and reason.
The story is often seen as an example of the weakness of women, but I’m not sure Paradise Lost Part 2: Eve and Adam really does suggest that. Eve thinks about everything and makes her own decision. It might be a bad decision, but she’s thinking for herself. Adam decides to go along with it because he doesn’t want to be without Eve. Of course, Eve only exists because Adam hates being alone, but he doesn’t want to be with anyone but Eve and he will risk everything to go along with what she wants. I see this story as more of an example of the weaknesses of human beings in general. Humans do seem to spend a lot of time wanting what we can’t or shouldn’t have or going along with something we don’t agree with because the alternative seems worse. They’re different ‘sins’, but neither suggests strength.
Gregory Linnington’s Satan thoroughly seems to enjoy himself, tempting Eve and Adam. His appearance as a serpent is particularly memorable. Robert Cuccioli managed to distract me from my memory of his brilliant performance in A Touch of a Poet, giving two different brilliant performances as Satan’s mate Moloch and the deeply disturbing Death. Carol Halstead continues her excellent portrayal of Sin – tempting and terrifying all at once, just like a lot (though not all) of the things we shouldn’t be doing.
On the more respectable side of things, Saidah Arrika Ekulona is all-powerful as the Father. I love the way Daniel José Molina develops his role of the Son, not entirely happy about getting involved but then doing his job with style. Cherie Corinne Rice’s Raphael seems to enjoy educating Adam and Eve, clearly believing he’s doing a good thing and solving a potential problem.
It’s sad to see this come to an end as it has been very
enjoyable, but there is more to come from Red Bull Theater online in works by
Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare. And John Milton did write a sequel…
No comments:
Post a Comment