The Diaries of Adam and Eve
Rebecca Vaughan and Elton Townend Jones perform this extended sketch
imagining the relationship of Adam and Eve with such brio and volume
that they almost persuade us that it isn’t as thoroughly silly as it
is.
Vaughan, astonishing as Elizabeth I last year, brings more than a
touch of Miranda Richardson to her schoolgirly Eve, while Jones (who
also adapts, from Mark Twain) does well to match her while dressed in
a green flowery shirt. If only we were all descended from these two.
the ladder yet” type of show) are irritating and inconsistent. Eve
doesn’t know what superfluous means and yet refers to axioms and has
no problem with Adam referring to “default settings”. Odd.
Eve’s final
speech is much more the ticket and Adam’s last line is beautiful, but
such pleasures feel much lighter on the ground than one might expect
from Twain. The rather flat and slow-paced production doesn’t help
matters either.
The fruits of this show may not be forbidden, and many may enjoy them,
but they are unfortunately less succulent than expected.
– Benet Catty
