Lewis will play the role of Father in the Chicago staging, which is scheduled to open August 7, 2020, at Chicagoland’s Arcada Theatre. The musical will feature a cast of over 50 actors from Chicago and New York stages.
Brenda Didier will direct and choreograph the production with co-choreography by Christopher Carter, music direction by Jermaine Hill, choral direction by Tom Vendafredo, lighting design by Alexander Ridgers, projection design by Kevan Loney, and scenic design by Jeff Kmiec.
Based on the book of Genesis, Children of Eden has a book by John Caird and a score by Stephen Schwartz and provides a unique telling of the story of creation through the epic of Noah and the flood.
Lewis, who will be seen in the Netflix film Da 5 Bloods by Spike Lee, received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as Porgy in The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. Other Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, and The Who’s Tommy. In 2014, he made history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African-American Phantom on Broadway.
Children of Eden will be produced through a special arrangement between the Chicagoland Theatre Fund and Onesti Entertainment.
Tickets are now on sale at ChildrenofEdenTheMusical.com.
Lewis has been a special guest performer on Playbill Travel’s Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are now on sale for Broadway in the Great Northwest, Playbill Travel’s first domestic cruise featuring Kate Baldwin, Tedd Firth, Aaron Lazar, Beth Leavel, and Faith Prince (April 26–May 4, 2020), and for Broadway on the Mediterranean (August 31–September 7, 2020), featuring Audra McDonald, Will Swenson, Gavin Creel, Caissie Levy and Lindsay Mendez, and for Broadway on the Nile (December 27, 2020–January 7, 2021) and Broadway on the Caribbean (February 15–22, 2021), with performers soon to be announced. To book a suite or stateroom, call Playbill Travel at 866-455-6789 or visit PlaybillTravel.com.