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As the chorus of Storytellers describes
the beginning of the world when Father created the heavens. Father comes
on and declares, "Let there be light." He creates Adam and Eve and gives
them the Garden of Eden to live in. Eden is a perfect place
.
Eve wants to know about the glowing tree on top of the hill. Father
tells them it is the tree of knowledge, and they must never eat its
fruit. Eve questions why Father put the tree there if it's not good.
Father tells her to have faith in his reasons. To divert their attention
away from the tree, Father asks Adam and Eve to help him name all the
animals. With the help of the Storytellers, Adam, Eve, and Father name
the animals. Father reflects on how well his universe turned out.
Meanwhile, in the night, Adam and Eve kiss and realize they are not
brother and sister.
One day, Eve goes up to the tree of knowledge and it enchants her. When
she tries to show the tree to Adam, he is not interested and goes back
to naming his bugs. However, Eve remains curious about the world
beyond. A Snake comes up to Eve and asks her questions. Eve does not
know the answers, but she is intrigued. The Snake convinces Eve to
pursue knowledge and eat the fruit of the tree. Eve eats the fruit and
tricks Adam into eating it by turning it into juice. When Adam realizes
that they have eaten from the tree of knowledge, he and Eve hide from
Father. Father calls to them, but Adam is ashamed. Unashamed, Eve tells
Father that she understands her own potential. Father orders Eve to
leave the garden and tells Adam that he will make him a better wife.
Adam chooses to stay with Eve instead of staying in Eden
.
Time passes as the Storytellers describe Adam and Eve's desolate new
environment. Eve gives birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Adam prays to
Father to be let back into paradise. As the boys grow up, Cain becomes
more curious about the world while Abel remains obedient to Adam. Eve
worries that she has passed her hunger for knowledge onto Cain. Cain
convinces Abel to leave their home to seek their own destinies out in
the world. Father comes upon Cain and Abel and tells them that he has
placed his hope in them. Cain declares he will find his own destiny
without Father's help and storms off. Before he leaves, Father makes
Abel promise that he won't tell Adam about the meeting and tells Abel
that he is only hope for the future.
Cain returns and has found that Adam's family are not the only people
in the world. Adam thinks the other people are barbarians and orders
Cain to never speak of them again. However, Cain, wanting to be a part
of a larger family, tries to leave, but Adam blocks his way. Abel tries
to restrain Cain, but Cain kills him with a rock. Shouting to Adam that
he should be dead, Cain runs off as Abel dies in Eve's arms. As Cain is
running, Father appears before him and asks where his brother is. Cain
asks if he is his brother's keeper. Father marks Cain's forehead and
curses him and all his children.
Eve is now an old woman. Adam has died. She introduces her third son,
Seth, who is married with children. Father returns to Eve and tells her
that Cain is alive. Eve tries to ask more questions, but Father
disappears. Eve gathers the grandchildren together and tells them that
this is her last harvest.
Act II begins in light, a thousand years
after Act One. The Storytellers come on and trace the line of Adam to
Noah and his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Father wants Noah to
quickly finish building the ark, so he can flood the world and destroy
the line of Cain
Meanwhile, Noah has other worries. His youngest son, Japheth, is not
married. When Japheth announces that he will present his bride at
dinner, Noah and the family eagerly prepare for a feast. At the dinner,
Japheth announces that he wishes to marry Yonah, the servant girl who
bears the mark of Cain. Noah declares that it will not be possible
because Father would disapprove. Japheth storms off just as animals
start appearing on their way to the ark. After everyone is onboard the
ark, Noah sees Yonah standing alone and apologizes that he can not take
her with him. Left alone as the rain starts to fall, she prepares to go
her own way. Japheth finds Yonah, states that Father is wrong, and hides
Yonah in the ark. As Japheth pulls Yonah into the ark, the flood begins
with Father sending down more rain
The rain continues for forty days and forty nights. With food running
out, Noah and his family begin having cabin fever as they anxiously wait
for the rain to stop. Yonah, worried that she is the reason the rains
have not stopped, sends a dove to find land. Shem and Ham find Yonah on
the ark. Ham fetches Noah who is very displeased with the situation.
Shem tries to throw Yonah overboard. Japheth runs on to stop him, but
Noah blocks his way and pushes him away. A fight ensues. Japheth almost
kills Ham, but Yonah stands in his way. Japheth backs off. Mama Noah
speaks up, and the children leave her alone with Noah. Noah reveals to
her that Father no longer speaks to him. Mama Noah tells him that he
must be the Father now. Alone, Noah reflects on the difficulty of being
a father to a son who makes his own choices and Father realizes he has
to let humanity choose its own destiny.
Noah marries Japheth to Yonah. The dove returns with an olive branch,
and the stars come out. The sun shines, and the ark lands at Mount
Ararat. The three sons decide to travel in different directions with
different animals. Japheth announces that he will search for Eden. Noah
says goodbye to his children. The musical ends with with Father
promising not to destroy the earth again and to let humanity take
responsibility for its own fate.
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