King's Players to present 'Children of Eden'
Now that Stephen Schwartz's name has become a household word due to the success of "Wicked," many of his earlier, less known works are being resurrected and performed by community and youth theater groups.
Earlier this year LZP Productions performed his show, "The Baker's Wife," in Palatine's Cutting Hall and now The King's Players, the community youth theater group sponsored by St. Mark Lutheran Church, is producing "Children of Eden."
The show will run today through Sunday at Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Rd., Arlington Heights. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. today and Friday and 1:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Written in 1991, "Children of Eden" is the story of the first nine chapters of Genesis. It begins with God creating the universe and ends with the message of forgiveness and reunification of the generations after Noah and the flood. The story highlights the relationships between parents and children through the generations and its message is one of hope, tolerance and love.
The cast for the show is made up of 41 young people from 37 different families in the northwest suburban area. Eight different schools are represented.
The play features Kurt Schueler (Arlington Heights) as Adam, Claire Reibel (Mount Prospect) as Eve, Jon Tracey (Buffalo Grove) as Cain, Walker Brewer (Mount Prospect) as Abel, Roy Brown (Prospect Heights) as Noah, Jenny Russo (Mount Prospect) as Mama Noah, Kenzo Furukawa (Mount Prospect) as Japheth, Noreen Jeglum (Mount Prospect) as Yonah and David Thill (Arlington Heights), Morgan Arshonsky (Arlington Heights), Riley Brady (Hoffman Estates), Sarah Wegner (Mount Prospect) and Beth Winters (Mount Prospect) as the Snake.
Ken Whitney, a 2002 graduate of the University of Illinois, will play the pivotal role of Father. Formerly the choral director at Prospect High School, Whitney is now the choral director at Southwest Chicago Christian Schools.
"The King's Players" was formed in 2001 to bring together youth (fifth grade through high school) from different schools, age groups and faith backgrounds and give them the training they need to put on a quality theater production for the community. For the past seven years, the group has been working in partnership with District 214's Community Education.
Tickets for "Children of Eden" are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. A dinner/theater package for $35 is available for the Saturday evening show. Advance tickets can be purchased from the District 214 Community Education office at 2121 S. Goebbert Rd. during business hours. Phone (847) 718-7702 for more information or log onto www.thekingsplayers.org.
Summer book sale: Grab a book before you head to the beach or the mountains.
The Friends of the Mount Prospect Library will hold their summer book sale this weekend at the library, 10 S. Emerson St.
"Excellent donations are continually being received, keeping selections fresh and shelves full," said Edward Rechner of the Friends. "Individually priced adult and children's better books will be sold in the large main floor meeting room. All other hard-bound books, paperbacks, CDs, records, videos and children's books will be sold in the book sale room on the parking lot level."
A members-only sale for the Friends will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday. If you are not a member, you can join for only $5 a year and get in on the best selections. The sale for the general public will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and from noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Call (847) 253-5675.