Is 'Children of Eden' finally headed to Broadway?

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

According to a press release for an upcoming concert staging of the show, it appears plans are in the works to finally bring ‘Children of Eden’ to Broadway.

The release stated,

“Ahead of a Broadway-aimed production next year, a staged concert presentation of Stephen Schwartz and John Caird's Children of Eden will be mounting October 15, 2022, at Broadway in Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre for two performances only.”

The concert and, presumably, the production will be directed by Derek Van Barham and choreographed by Nicholas Ranauro.

I spoke with a source who confirmed the plan to bring the musical to New York City and there is “great investor interest” in the piece.

‘Children of Eden’ casts the beloved biblical stories of Genesis through the personal lens of family. It starts with the very beginning: the creation of the universe. Father breathes life into his children, Adam and Eve, and learns that the hardest part of being a loving Father is letting go. It’s a lesson that translates into the parenting of Cain, Abel, and Seth and is reiterated once again as Noah parents his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. This joyous and inspiring musical celebrates the difficulty of choice, the importance of passion, the value of questioning, and the pain in allowing those you love to take risks and face the consequences.

The question of whether or not this musical would ever come to 42nd St has been asked for a long time. In fact, I asked this back in 2020.

It would be very interesting to see if it makes its long-awaited journey to Broadway. But it would certainly fulfill a dream for its composer, Stephen Schwartz, who has said many times it is his favorite of his works.

"I think the work of which I am most proud is Children of Eden, for several reasons,” he said. “To begin with, I think it's my best score musically….And I am proud of the fact that I kept working on the show after its initial failure in its London premiere so that it has become a viable and often performed piece that I know will live on after I'm gone."

Personally, I would love it if this show came to Broadway. It is one of my favorite Schwartz scores and I would be very interested in how they would cast/stage it. Will it have some obstacles to overcome to get there? Sure. To be honest, religious-themed musicals don’t typically fare well commercially on Broadway, but one can hope. Needless to say, I’m interested.