Chicago News
Michelle Williams joins Chicago Children of Eden Gigs
The Grammy-winning entertainer and Broadway alum will star as Eve and Mama Noah in the Stephen Schwartz-John Caird musical.
michelle williams
Grammy-winning recording artist and Broadway alum Michelle Williams to star as Eve and Mama Noah in Stephen Schwartz and John Caird’s upcoming Chicago Stage Concerts Children of Eden. The biblical musical, which tells the stories of Adam, Eve and Noah, will perform at the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago on October 15.
Former Destiny’s Child member Williams, whose Broadway credits include Aida, Chicagoand Once on this island— joins a previously announced cast including Broadway Wretched star Randal Keith as a father, The voice runner-up Koryn Hawthorne as Yonah, gospel music artist David Phelps as Adam/Noah, and YouTube music creator and artist Sam Tsui as Cain/Japheth. The staged concert will be conducted by Derek Van Barham and will feature choreography by Nicholas Ranauro.
With plans for a full Broadway production in 2023, the Chicago concert is produced by the Chicagoland Theater Fund and Onesti Entertainment. Justin Kono serves as musical director, with Kyle Haas serving as artistic producer.
Based on the book of Genesis, Children of Eden has a book by Caird and a score by Schwartz and offers a unique account of the story of creation through the epic of Noah and the flood. The musical had its world premiere in London’s West End in 1991, then was performed in revised form at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse in 1997. Although the musical has yet to come to Broadway, it is become a favorite in regional theaters, schools, and churches. The score includes Schwartz favorites such as “The Spark of Creation”, “Lost in the Wilderness”, “Stranger to the Rain” and “In Whatever Time We Have”.
The Chicago concerts have been in the works since 2020, originally announced for summer 2020 with a different creative team and Norm Lewis as Father. Following the onset of COVID-19, the concert was postponed to August 2021, with Kirstin Maldonado, Deborah Cox, David Phelps and Brian Justin Crum joining the star roster. This date has also been postponed. Further castings for the 2022 concert are to be announced.
For more information and tickets, visit BroadwayInChicago.com.