Chalice Theatre of Arlington is putting on the musical “Children of Eden” through March 15th. Never on Broadway, but often performed in local theatre groups, this musical by Stephen Schwartz, who also wrote the better known musicals “Godspell” and “Pippin”, is all about family. Chalice Theatre, founded in 1997, is a community theatre program of the creative arts ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. And Chalice Theatre is also all about family. There are 56 actors, actresses, costumers, designers, or tech crew in the musical, many of them related to each other in real life. “We kind of grew up doing theatre production here, as a family, “ said Margot Rottenberg. Her mother, Lori Rottenberg, played “God” (a delightfully different mother figure) in the production. Margot took the year off due to commitments as a senior at Yorktown, and Lori took two years off before returning this year. Some actors are in their 12th Chalice production, and some are young middle-schoolers just starting out. Several of the show’s stars are professional performance artists. Barbara Buzzell, who was volunteering at the refreshment table during intermission said her daughter, Jane Schwartz, was in the play as young “Adam“ and again as “Storyteller”. Buzzell said she tends to be a bit of an introvert, and joining the theatre group became a wonderful social activity for her family and allowed them to meet new people and have fun. Her comment is reflected in Jane’s program note where she notes this is her seventh Chalice production, and that she’d like to thank her mother and sister for their support, love, and… transportation.
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Children of Eden continues through March 15th. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on March 13 and 14, and at 3 p.m. on March 14 and 15. See www.uucava.org for more.
Chalice theatre will also present “Wit”, a Pultizer Prize winning drama on APril 17 and 18.