I just got back from Carthage’s performance of the musical “Children of Eden” – by Stephen Schwarz, the composer of “Godspell.” As good as Godspell is, this is actually a much better show which, I think, leaves a far deeper impact on its audiences. I saw Children of Eden when it was done by Kenosha Unified many years ago (perhaps ten years ago, in fact) and I still vividly remember much of that wonderful performance. Tonight was similarly impressive. Over the last few weeks most of the reports I’ve heard from my voice students in the cast was of how challenging the show was and of how much there was yet to do – but as is so often the case, it seems to have come together impressively. The fun parts are tremendously fun – the touching parts are incredibly touching- and you walk out feeling like you’ve been touched to the bottom of your soul. (And I didn’t even get to see the whole performance.) It was an excellent performance- – – and seeing such excellence on the Wartburg Auditorium stage reminded me that a few years back, the musicals at Carthage were quite a mixed bag. (I remember one year that we actually lost a potential high schooler we were fervently recruiting – a superb low bass from Zion, Illinois. At his Saturday audition, he indicated that he was coming to Carthage and tremendously excited about it. During our closing minutes with him, our then- dept. chair encouraged this young man (first name Nick) to attend the spring musical performance that night. Little did our dept. chair seem to realize that the spring musical that year was nothing short of a disaster – and by the time intermission rolled around, this young man had decided that Carthage was not the place for him after all. But there are brand new faculty in place who have done superb work and recruited very talented students – and the quality of our musical theater efforts has really skyrocketed. In fact, I think tonight’s performance would have enticed just about anyone to want to come to Carthage and be a part of such excellence.
There was SO much to enjoy tonight including a plethora of fine individual performances – but I really have to give special praise to God.
I mean to say that the young man who portrayed God deserves a special word of praise. He’s a sophomore from Rockford, IL named Andrew Lenox, and he is an exceptionally gifted singer and actor and one of my very favorite voice students. Most recently he was the flamboyant Pirate King in “The Pirates of Penzance” and the previous year he undertook the heartbreaking title role in “The Man of No Importance.’ And tonight he was God – or actually “Father” – and I was tremendously proud of the work he did. He handled the many and varied vocal challenges of his part so beautifully – and he also managed to command the stage with the effortlessness of someone with really exceptional gifts. There’s nothing overt about his attitude or posture that says “Look at Me!” You just do. You can’t take your eyes off of him and you hang on to every word he speaks. . . and those are good qualities for someone portraying God to have!
But what I also appreciate so much about Andrew is that he is exceptionally talented- but also so hard-working and such a joy to work with. Come to think of it, a lot of our most talented singers right now are that complete package – combining great talent with an admirable sense of responsibility to make the most of that talent. But Andrew embodies that as well as anyone I can think of.
I also appreciate the fact that Andrew has accomplished all he has at Carthage not as a music major – but as a Political Science major. (He is a music minor.) Andrew juggles a lot but is probably one of the top three “jugglers” I have taught in my seventeen years at Carthage.
And one more thing. . . What I really love about Andrew, and I can say this about a few other special students I have taught over the years, is that Andrew walks into every voice lesson with a genuine hunger to be a still better singer by the time he leaves. Never once have I seen even a glimmer of self-satisfaction or complacency or the sense that he has already learned everything he needs to know about singing. As good as Andrew is, he is also smart enough to know that there is ALWAYS something more to learn and explore about the world of singing. And he is a sponge who takes in everything I give him and more. I ask him to try something and he goes for it with all he’s got. I really love teaching any student who is really there to learn and grow; nothing galvanizes me more to do my best work and nothing gives me greater joy.
pictured: This is a short of Andrew receiving a suggestion from guest clinician Dan Ihasz during a master class held during our Italian art song festival back in February. I love this picture of the two of them, especially because of the concentration on Andrew’s face. (You would think that Dan was God for as intently as Andrew was listening to him and taking his suggestions to heart.) I intended to actually snap a couple of photos of tonight’s curtain call, but I didn’t have my camera with me – so this photo was the next best thing to sharing an image of Andrew with you.
By the way, come see Children of Eden if you can this weekend or the next. It’s wonderful.