Escaping Eden

"Escaping Eden" is a new musical from composer Dawson Atkin directed by Omar Sandakly which premiered at The Hartt School in Hartford, CT in April 2022. The show is a reimagining of the biblical story of Adam and Eve, focusing on Eve's perspective and using the story as a lens to explore gender and gender roles.  The show's folk-inspired score evokes the natural beauty of the Garden of Eden, as well as Eve's rebellious spirit.

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In the musical, Adam and Eve are re-cast as a rural, domestic couple, inspired by middle America in the mid-20th century.  Adam is a hardworking farmer, and Eve is a second-wave feminist who longs for more than her daily house chores.  The serpent serves two roles in the show, as both a confidante for Eve and a bridge between the audience and the characters.  

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In a review for In The Spotlight, Michael Moran writes that Atkin "tell[s] the story with a Sondheim-like balance of colloquial and poetic language," and that the show "is an exciting new chapter in a promising writer's career."  The full review can be read here.

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By reframing an ancient and familiar narrative, Escaping Eden asks the audience to reconsider gender, free will, the stories we tell and how we tell them.