ASHLAND, Ky.

Friday, August 11, 2000

ASHLAND, Ky. – She can’t be found in the Bible, but Yonah plays a vital role in Noah’s relationship with his son in the musical "Children of Eden."

The play, directed by Ironton native Mickey Fisher, is set to take the stage at Ashland’s Paramount Arts Center this weekend.

"This is a musical that is mostly sung and includes lots of dancing," Fisher said. "It is a very family-oriented show that teaches the importance of good long-lasting family relationships. The musical first debuted on Broadway but hasn’t actually made it to the big stage yet."

He said the show combines folk, world sounds, pop rock and Broadway tunes to retell the first nine and a half chapters of Genesis.

"Stephen Schwartz of ‘Godspell’ wrote the musical in such a way that it teaches us about our relationship with God and our families," he said. "God actually becomes a live person on stage and interacts with Adam and Eve, and, Cain and Able. He passes in and out very frequently from the heavenly dominion and the earthly dominion to teach the importance of good relationships in many different situations."

But the story does not follow the events of the Bible exactly, he added.

"Yonah, played by Julie Cardia of Chicago, Ill., was created to give a dramatic tension between Noah and his son Japheth," Fisher said. "She doesn’t actually exist in the Bible but for the stage, she plays a vital role. She is a fugitive slave secretly hidden on Noah’s ark before the rains fell. She was created to teach Noah some of the fundamentals God wanted to teach from the flood. In the end, she is the one who releases the dove from the ark."

The show features an orchestra of nine, more than 50 local actors/actresses and a cast of four professionals, he said.

"In addition to directing, I play God in the musical," he said. "Thadd Krueger (Chicago) portrays Cain and Japheth; Janna Cardia (Chicago) portrays Eve; Rod Thomas (New York) portrays Adam and Noah; and Ironton native Andrew Cronacher took the role of Able as a last minute fill-in. Cronacher is doing an excellent job at playing that role."

The musical is scheduled for tonight and Saturday night at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door one hour before each show.

"This show will definitely be a little over two hours well-spent," Fisher said. "It is a show that is being performed on stages all across the nation and is sure to teach families good fundamentals."