The young performers at the New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts  played to a sold-out crowd January 13 and 14 with the two-night production, “Children of Eden.”  The musical retelling of three Bible stories: “Adam and Eve”, “Cain and Able” and “Noah’s Ark” cast a new light on the age-old tales, bringing them alive for modern audiences.

The crowd knew they were in for a great show from the start as the cast sang a remarkable rendition of “Let There Be,” led by Einar Gunn as “Father”. “The Spark of Creation” sung by Cindy Edwards as “Eve” was equally accomplished. Branden Mangan as “Older Cain” may have appeared unsure when he began “Lost in the Wilderness” but about halfway through his voice suddenly soared, eliciting applause from the audience.

The “Storytellers” also put on good performances. Like a 1960s girl-group singers Angelika Anastasiya and Katie Suffern really wowed the crowd with their brief solos and left everyone wanting more.

A highlight of “Children of Eden” were the performers who played “The Snake”. Henry Gardner sang beautifully but could not have pulled it off without Emily Ascherl, Lilly Baldassare, Aleah Colon-Alfonso, and Anne Reboa mimicking his every move as the snake’s body. Lastly, Miriam Sapozhnikov was adorable as the snake’s rattle.

“Noah” played by Miles G. Jackson was the strongest performance of the night. Jackson managed to pull laughs from nearly every line. His droll, exasperated interpretation of Noah had the audience constantly chuckling from the moment he appeared on stage. But this Noah wasn’t one-note. The tear in his eye as he bid farewell to his children going their separate ways made the performance truly feel three-dimensional.

After the performance, Piedro and Esperanza Anastasiya, parents of daughter Angelika, said they were thrilled with the show.

“It is a great show. It’s an opportunity for the younger generation. And I think it has a good message,” said Mrs. Anastasiya.

“It was excellent,” Mr. Anastasiya agreed.

Director and choreographer Corinna Sowers-Adler explained that the back-to-back production of two religion-themed plays was purely coincidental. She talked about the difference between this show and last season’s “The Apple Tree.”

“[The difference is] a realistic interpretation and a more emotional interpretation. It’s a lot deeper for the kids, character-wise. There’s a lot more work involved in building a character. The other one was a lot more satirical look at the story of Adam and Eve. So even though they’re the same subject matter, they are very different shows. And I think the kids did an excellent job.”

Westminster Arts Center will present “The Story of My Life” next month.