| Up from Paradise | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Music | Stanley Silverman |
| Lyrics | Arthur Miller |
| Book | Arthur Miller |
| Basis | Miller's playThe Creation of the World and Other Business |
| Productions | 1974University of Michigan 1981New York City concert 1983Off-Broadway 2014London |
Up from Paradise is amusical with a book and lyrics byArthur Miller and music byStanley Silverman.
In 1972, Miller's comedyThe Creation of the World and Other Business closed after only twenty performances. Undaunted by its failure, he revamped it as a musical, a retelling ofGod's battle withLucifer for control ofAdam andEve as chronicled in theBook of Genesis.[1]
Up from Paradise was staged at Miller'salma mater, theUniversity of Michigan inAnn Arbor, in 1974.[1] It was presented inconcert form in the Composers' Showcase at theWhitney Museum inManhattan in 1981.[2] A fully stagedoff-Broadway production, directed by Ran Avni, opened on October 25, 1983 at the Jewish Repertory Theater. The cast includedLen Cariou as God,Austin Pendleton as Adam,Alice Playten as Eve,Walter Bobbie as Lucifer, andLonny Price asAbel.
The London premiere was staged at theNew Wimbledon Theatre by PK Productions in July 2014. Directed byPatrick Kennedy, with music direction by Jake Dorfman, it opened on July 22 and the cast included Niccolo Curradi as God, Alexander Elwood as Adam, Susanna Squires as Eve, Alex Wingfield as Lucifer, Perry Brookes Jr as Abel and Anthony Pinnick as Cain.[3]