Theater review: ‘The Diaries of Adam & Eve’ brings Mark Twain satire to life at Legacy Theatre

This theater season has been rich in Connecticut content. We’ve had plays by longtime Roxbury resident Arthur Miller at both Hartford Stage and the Long Wharf, a community theater production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” (inspired by a real-life murder spree in Windsor) in Goshen and the Connecticut-set haunted house musical “Beetlejuice” that just toured through The BushnellThe summer looks just as locally rich. Ivoryton Playhouse is doing the first Connecticut production of “Mystic Pizza” June 27 through July 28 and the Legacy Theatre in Branford is doing “The Diaries of Adam & Eve” by the most famous writer ever to call Connecticut home, Mark Twain.There have been several adaptations of “The Diaries of Adam & Eve,” including for one section of the three-part 1966 musical “The Apple Tree,” which the Goodspeed Opera House revisited in 1999. The Legacy Theatre uses a popular, straightforward one by David Birney, who was better known as an actor from TV’s “Bridget Loves Bernie” and “St. Elsewhere.” It was broadcast in 1989 on PBS’ “American Playhouse” and Birney performed it live at Hartford Stage in 1996 as part of Hartford’s “Mark Twain Days.”Birney’s rendition takes Twain’s stories verbatim and edits them so that the diary entries of the alleged first man on Earth alternate with those of the purported first woman. In this production, the performers carry leather-bound journals around with them to nail the concept that they are reciting stuff they’ve written down.Sam BibbinsThe Garden of Eden set design is a compelling feature of the Legacy Theatre’s production of “Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam & Eve.” (Sam Bibbins)Twain’s version began as a short story, “Extracts from Adam’s Diary” in 1893, to which “Eve’s Diary” was added in 1905. He’d done other comic reflections on the Adam and Eve story from the Genesis section of the Bible. These works aren’t dashed-off comic sketches, though. The diaries are full of jokes, but they’re sentimental and heartfelt. The “Eve” sections were written following the death of his daughter Susy from meningitis in 1896 and his wife Olivia in 1903, events which caused Twain to leave his Hartford home for good. The musings on mortality, the wonders of parenthood and the death of a spouse are high points of the diaries, and Birney uses them to add depth and drama to the conclusion of the 75-minute play.There’s very little actual interaction between Adam and Eve in the play. Mostly they observe and talk about each other. Along the way, they mention encounters with a talking serpent, getting expelled from the Garden of Eden, have children (which Adam believes are small animals Eve discovered in the woods and brought home) and grow old together.“The Diaries of Adam & Eve” is studded with solid quips about naming animals, eating fruit and watching babies grow up. A running joke is that Adam uses big vocabulary words. There is no nudity and nothing remotely rude or distasteful about this show, unless you count the mere act of making fun of a Bible story. Twain could be a skeptic about organized religion but he also attended Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. There are sex jokes, but they’re quaint and coy. The only offensive aspects of the show nowadays are some outdated sexist stereotypes: Men don’t know how to raise children, women smile at their husband’s faults but don’t confront them and so on.All of this material, from the comedy to the tragedy to the sitcom situations, could be played a lot of different ways. Mariah Sage (whose previous Legacy shows include “Oedipus Rex,” “Deathtrap” and “The Play That Goes Wrong”) is a bright-eye, openly friendly Eve. Rod Brogan (who in his youth was a regular on TV’s “Major Dad”) plays Adam as an amiable goof. They rarely get upset, and when they do they’re not angry or violent.That calmness might be due to scenic designer Jamie Burnett, who has whipped up a credible Garden of Eden with lush greenery, a bubbling fountain and even a stone pillared gazebo. The beauty of nature fills the small Legacy stage and even extends into the auditorium with projections of clouds and stars. The set gives some theatrical heft to the show and keeps it from being just Adam and Eve doing stand-up comedy.Director and Legacy Theatre artistic director Keely Baisden takes a mainstream, smiley face presentational approach. At its worst, this makes the play sound the players are reading to you from a children’s book, especially when they take long pauses to react with an overdone laugh or quizzical expression to something they’ve just said. The upside is that they speak Twain’s prose clearly and cleanly.If you haven’t read this Twain gem in a while, you’ve likely forgotten how good it is. The production may lack creativity, edginess or any surprises, but Mark Twain’s words shine through.“Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam & Eve,” edited and adapted for the stage by David Birney, runs through Sunday at the Legacy Theatre, Thimble Islands Road, Branford. Performances are Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. $25-$50. legacytheatrect.org.

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