Piane Productions "Children of Eden" review by ekka

'It Ain't Good'

Rating: 2

Children of Eden

Piane Productions

"It Ain't Good"--but it isn't bad either. Piane's promise to provide quality entertainment for the people of KC came up a little short overall; there were some outstanding individual performances, but not the brilliance one would expect from the collective whole--especially at a venue such as The Music Hall.

What must be mentioned first and foremost is the incredible sound produced by the choir, ensemble, and orchestra. Hats off to them as singers and musicians.  Additionally, choosing the talented Kevin Bogan to conduct is always a smart choice. The magnificence of the music made me close my eyes and smile!

It's when I opened them back up that the disappointment began.  The set was horrendous.  The tiers of scaffolding looked more like a WEST SIDE STORY set--it blocked view of the actors--it created a visual obstruction to what needed to be a more pure and clean setting.  It was hard to follow the principal actors as they traveled through the maze of wood--the spotlight (when cued correctly) was only able to dimly illuminate, as the forest of wood absorbed most of the light and created so many shadows.

The choreography, while adequate, lacked the professional quality expected at such a venue.  It was not clean--more than twice I caught dancers glancing left or right at the adjacent dancer to verify they were doing the correct move.  There were definitely some ensemble members who should NOT have been involved with choreography.  Their lack of rhythm and coordination was obvious.  In addition, it never really seemed that any one person was fully committed to their actions--most movement seemed robotic and unnatural.

Nathan Granner was amazing.  He deserves his own paragraph exclaiming his masterful art, but that was already done in the playbill.

Cary Mock is fabulous.  I can never say enough good things about his supreme ability to entertain.  His bio is often too short and humble for the quality he brings to the stage.  He is an under-appreciated performer, and his sensational voice is unparalleled in the KC area.

While this was only my first time to see Erikka Dunn onstage, I was disappointed in her acting ability.  There was some pitch problems with her singing, especially in Act I--where it was obvious she was uncomfortable in her character.  Act II was another story--she was able to unleash a bit of that gruff sound and bold attitude, which was grandly displayed as she led the gospel choir in "Ain't It Good."

The show was an overall disappointment simply because it wasn't 'crisp and clean.'  It felt more like watching the end-of-week performance from a musical theatre camp.


read the review at KC Stage