OFF-BROADWAY NEWS
Hal Linden and Marilu Henner Will Lead The Journals of Adam and Eve Off-Broadway
DIRECTOR, AMY ANDERS CORCORAN
The work from playwright Ed. Weinberger made its world premiere at California's Garry Marshall Theatre earlier this year.
BY LOGAN CULWELL-BLOCK | MAY 30, 2024
Ed. Weinberger's new play The Journals of Adam and Eve will get an Off-Broadway run at The Sheen Center beginning July 10, opening July 11. The limited run will continue through July 28.
The work made its world premiere at California's Garry Marshall Theatre earlier this year, with Hal Linden and Sally Struthers starring. Linden will reprise his performance Off-Broadway, newly joined by Marilu Henner.
Inspired by the Biblical characters and the work of John Milton and Mark Twain, the new work follows the famous first couple, allowing them to tell their own story in their own words for the first time. Weinberger has spent much of his career writing for TV, co-creating Taxi and The Cosby Show and writing for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, among others.
Amy Anders Corcoran will direct the Off-Broadway bow.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the story of Adam and Eve," said Weinberger in an earlier statement. "They’ve been blamed for so much: bringing into a previously perfect world Original Sin, pain in childbirth, and death. For centuries, various cultures—including our own—have used them to justify the right of men to rule over women. I thought it was about time for Adam and Eve to defend themselves. I tried putting them into a play, but that would mean actors naked on stage for two acts. And casting is hard enough as is."
“The Book of Genesis introduced Adam and Eve over 3,000 years ago, and as far as I know, the only writer since who explored their humanity was Mark Twain," he continued. "So if there’s a similarity between Twain’s couple and mine, it’s hardly coincidental. As far as Adam and Eve’s story being relevant in today’s America, I’ll leave that up to the audience to decide.”
The work is modeled on A.R. Gurney's Love Letters, with the script read by two actors from onstage scripts.
Tickets are available at SheenCenter.org.