The Diary of Adam & Eve

Nautilus Music-Theater

Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The Diary of Adam and Eve is a charming story of companionship. Based on the writings of humorist Mark Twain, it features some of Nautilus most popular performers singing songs written by the creators of Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me. Adam awakes in Eden; he suddenly feels a pain in his side, and his pastoral existence is compromised by “this curiously interesting creature called Eve.” Together they journey through the innocence of courtship, the challenge of exile, and the triumph of love through a lifetime of labor and pain. The Diary of Adam and Eve manages to indulge sentiment without succumbing to what Huck Finn calls “soulbutter and hogwash”, and offers the gift of gratitude to those with whom we share our lives.

Cast:

JOEL LIESTMAN (Adam) recently appeared as Enoch Snow in the Nautilus production of Carousel. Other Nautilus productions include I Am Anne Frank and Man of La Mancha, along with many Rough Cuts programs, including Let There Be Joy, Hard Times, How Green Was My Valley, and Aloha Flight 243. Joel has also worked with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, The Ordway Center, Theater Latte Da, the Playwrights’ Center at the Guthrie Theater, History Theater, and North Star Opera. He also has a number of film and TV credits, including Still Life, Look Busy, and appearances on Comedy Central. He can be reached online at www.joelliestman.com.

JILL ANNA PONASIK (Eve) recently appeared as Carrie in the Nautilus production of Carousel. Other Nautilus productions include Man of La Mancha and From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, along with many Rough Cuts programs, including Lavender Girl, El Niño, Dead Man Walking, and Loss of Breath (which she produced in last year’s Fringe Festival). Jill Anna has also worked with the Minnesota Opera, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, VocalEssence, North Star Opera, Theater Latte Da, New Dramatists and the Ohio Light Opera. She can be reached online at www.jillannaponasik.com.

JP FITZGIBBONS (The Snake) recently appeared as Jigger in the Nautilus production of Carousel. Other Nautilus appearances include Man of La Mancha, Songs from and Unmade Bed, and John and Jen, along with many Rough Cuts programs, including Myths and Hymns, The Frogs, the Black Max Cabaret Songs, and the title role in Floyd Collins. He has participated twice in the Nautilus Composer-Librettist Studio. JP has also worked with the Guthrie Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Children’s Theater Company, Door Shakespeare, Ordway Center, Theater Latte Da, the Jon Hassler Theater, and the Minnesota Opera tour.

BEN KRYWOSZ (Stage Director) serves as Artistic Director of Nautilus, directing such world-premiere productions of Loss of Breath, Meditations on Arion, I Am Anne Frank, Hearts On Fire, Dante’s View, and the revised version of Snow Leopard, as well as new productions of A Water Bird Talk, Carousel, Man of La Mancha, Songs from an Unmade Bed, John and Jen, From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, The Last Five Years, Goblin Market, Into the Woods, and most recently, Orpheus and Euridice. He also produces the company’s Rough Cuts program (a monthly works-in-progress series) and the Nautilus Composer-Librettist Studio in New York and Saint Paul.

JILL DAWE (Music Director) has worked with Nautilus often, serving as music director for numerous Rough Cuts programs, including Floyd Collins, Zephyrus: Songs Of The West Wind, Aloha Flight 243, Requiem For Unbelievers, Promise, Mozart in Manhattan, and excerpts from 365 Plays/365 Days. She has also served on the staff of the Wesley Balk Institute. The Diary of Adam and Eve marks her first fully-staged Nautilus production. A professor at Augsburg College, Jill has also performed with the Ballet of the Dolls and collaborates often with a wide range of composers, writers, dancers, and musicians.

JAMIE HULTGREN (Assistant Director) recently served as Assistant to the Directors for the Nautilus Composer-Librettist Studio, and will be participating as a performer this summer in Nautilus’ Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2006, and has performed with Teatro del Pueblo and the Guthrie Theater. Jamie is also a writer, and is currently in the process of developing her first musical.

Schedule:

Tuesday, May 27, 8:30 PM
Wednesday, May 28, 7:00 PM
Thursday, May 29, 5:30 PM
Friday, May 30, 2:30 PM
Sunday, June 01, 2:30 PM

Location:

Church of Youth

Press Material:

print-ready photo
web site

Contact:

Ben Krywosz
Artistic Director
Nautilus Music-Theater
651-298-9913

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4 Reviews for The Diary of Adam and Eve

  1. Great show! Adam and Eve done with the sex-role stereotypes of America suburbia in the 1950s. Very clever. Very fun. You will not be dissappointed!! The singing is beautiful and the banter is superb. Congratulations to everyone that worked on this show.

    Comment by Laurie McKichan — May 28, 2008 @ 3:46 am

  2. Nice staging and great singing for weak material. The Fiddler on the Roof songwriters must have composed these songs while on a bender. Nonetheless, Nautilus works around this stuff with some sparkling moments. The devil, of course, is the most interesting character.

    Comment by tom — May 29, 2008 @ 2:41 pm

  3. Terrific performances and sweet, simple staging set off this gem of a piece beautifully. Funny and moving, The Diary of Adam and Eve sheds light on the nature of human relationships with music and lyrics that go right to the heart. Lovely!

    Comment by Patty — May 29, 2008 @ 4:21 pm

  4. Whenever you see the name Nautilus Music-Theater connected to a production, make time to attend their show! The 3 performers, Joel Liestman, Jill Anna Ponasik, and JP Fitzgibbons are excellent. The story itself is simple,funny and poignant, and as is said in the program notes, listen with an open mind and set aside political correctness. Jill Dawe, music director, accompanies the singers with deft piano playing and occasionally catches stuffed fish that are thrown her way. The staging is theatrical magic and lets the observer use their imagination. I was very glad that I saw this show, the themes are eternal and also made me think about our relationships with our loved ones. Nautilus does high quality work, see this show!

    Comment by Robin — May 30, 2008 @ 10:30 pm

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