Video: Nikki Renée Daniels & David Phelps Are Going Back to the Beginning in CHILDREN OF EDEN

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

Up next from Manhattan Concert Productions Broadway series is the glorious Stephen Schwartz

and John Caird musical Children of Eden. It is directed in choreographed by Tony Yazbeck with musical direction by Kimberly Grigsby

It'll take place on February 18th at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall

It features a stellar cast with a chorus of over 375 singers

and I caught up with two of the show stars, Nikki Renee Daniels and David Phelps

It's thrilled to be seeing you again. Yes. And David, to meet you for the first time

welcome to New York, and welcome to the journey you're about to go on

with Children of Eden. How excited are you? I am so excited and pretty nervous

But today really helped a whole lot. We got to run our lines and Norm joined us over Zoom

And so that helped a whole lot, you know. Yeah, we were able to kind of lay a foundation, you know

The rehearsal process is so quick. And we had never met until today, so it was nice to, you know, see him and, like, feel what the energy is

Kind of establish some kind of chemistry. Yeah, yeah. Talk about how excited you were about doing Children of Eden

You hadn't worked with Stephen Schwartz before, had you? No, I hadn't worked with him before, but I certainly knew the album for Children of Ead is

and Tony and I actually went to college together. And the album had just come out a few years maybe before we were in college

so everyone knew it. And they actually did it in school while we were there, but we weren't in that production

So it's nice to get to visit the actual production, and this is my first time getting to be in it, which is thrilling

What a full-circle moment for you to go to school together with Tony to know the show was being done

Neither of you got cast, and now you're doing it in New York, right? Exactly

I'll show them. No, that'll show. We're going to do it in New York. We're doing it in Lincoln Center

You had done the show before, David, right? I had. You know, the first time I did it, this is crazy, but my daughter was in college, and they called me

and they were like, your daughter's in the production. Come be a part of the production. I was like, all right, that'll be nice

And so I went down there, and then she dropped out of school. And so I ended up doing it, you know, without her

They're there. And then they called me, the Chicago lyric called me to be a part of the production in early 22

and Stephen was going to be a part of that. So that's where I met Stephen and we worked together there

And so it was good to get the call for this. Yeah

So let's talk about this is one of these, one of the most beloved musicals

I mean, like I said, you fell on. love with the album. You got to do it. I did the same thing. What is it about this show? What

attracted both of you to say, yes, I want to do this here? Oh, well, I would jump at the opportunity

to do one of these concerts because they're so much fun and to get to do something on the scale

with this many people in the chorus. And it's just a really special opportunity, and especially

at David Geffen Hall. But also, as I said, I've been a fan of the music. I've been a huge fan of

Stephen Schwartz forever. So to get to sing his music is really exciting. Absolutely. And

And I think from different sources I heard that this is one of his favorite pieces that he has ever written And I think it certainly shows in his enthusiasm toward that So to get to work with Stephen is amazing

The number of voices that we're going to be on stage with, I just can imagine that wall of sound that's going to be happening

And the enthusiasm of the kids that are there to be in that place

and in that moment working on that is, I just can't wait for it

Well, where are you getting into that? Because this is Manhattan concert productions. They have done numerous shows like this

This is part of the Broadway series. There's going to be 375 singers behind you besides an incredible orchestra there at Lincoln Center

I mean, like you said, I mean, you've done this before. Yeah. So tell him what it's going to be like

Well, I mean, it's so thrilling. We were talking about it earlier. Just the idea, you know, we were these kids who were like so excited about Broadway

And so to know that they're getting to be on stage for something like this of this caliber

I'm so excited for them. And I can't wait to meet some of them and chat with them because I know when I was a kid

I would have been so thrilled to be a part of something like this. Absolutely

You know, this whole thing that I've done, I don't know if it's like, this is just a dream

you know, to be able to make music and to step on stages where there are people out there

who are anticipating you, making music. What a gift, what a dream life that is

And I remember just sitting in an audience listening to my favorite artists and just going, wow

I want to do that. I want to be a part of making music like that to that level

And then to be here, that's a story to be told to

you know, the youth that'll be there that it's possible. You know, that what they're dreaming about is possible

And I think that hopefully will open up a big world for some of them

See, that's the wonderful thing that Manhattan Concert Productions does. They come in for, it's almost a week they come in for

and I mean, they get to watch the whole entire process of watching all these stars and these performers that they admire

go through the actual process of putting on this incredible show that they're a part of

But they watch what you go through, and they watch it all the way through

from your rehearsals, from your sing-throughs, to your text, through everything. You know, if you go to a school, you know, very rarely do you get to see how it's actually done professionally in New York on a stage like Lincoln Center

And these kids are there all week. And like I said, you were just saying, we were those kids

Yeah, and we're so lucky to have them with us, you know, to have that much of a support system behind us, especially in a story like this, you know, it's just, we're just as lucky to have them as they are to, you know

be able to experience it as well. Yeah. Because I think the two of you're going to learn as much from them as they're going to learn from you

I think it's going to take you back to when you first started out like, oh my gosh, that was me. Yeah. Right? Yeah

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm hoping they'll give me a line every once in a while

I know, but all those people may think they can whisper, whispers something, you know

Well, you ran through everything today and I heard it went very, very well, right? Yes

Well, you'd been down this road before with the Secret Garden, that beautiful production. that MCP had done, favorite memories of that

What was it for you? Oh my gosh, just listening to the principal actors saying

you know Sierra Bogus and Cheyenne Jackson and Rameen Karamlu like their voices were just so amazing and to come together to tell that story in such a quick amount of time and to just see it all come together so quickly it was really special

And then the audience. Yeah, the audience really loved it. And also, the composers were there and involved with it

So that was really nice also. I'm looking forward to having Stephen be there with us this week for part of the time

They'll all be there. He'll be there. So let's talk about the roles that you get to play and what you love about them already

even after your first read-through today. Talk about who you play. I'm playing Eve and Mama Noah

And I'm really excited because I actually recorded the Spark of Creation on my album

my solo album, which came out about 11 years ago now. But I've never played the part

So I'm only really familiar with the song Spark of Creation other than the entire role

So to get to go on stage and play the entire role and find what the Spark of Creation is within that character

and not just some song that I sang a few years ago, you know. It's nice to be able to explore it

the motivation of the character. And maybe it'll... And she sounds so good

Yeah, maybe it'll be a little different than what I did on my album, which is..

You're like, oh, here's the whole show. Yeah, yeah. Beautiful. David, for you

I am playing Adam and Noah. And the music is just magical

You know, I mean, the harmonic choices that Stephen put in throughout this

are so different and still fresh today, you know, that it really is

it kind of takes you off guard a little bit. The content of the show I am very drawn to

because it really is about relationships, parental relationships, and the relationships between all of the characters

And, you know, when you look at the story of Genesis, it really sets up this whole story throughout the

the Bible that it is a relationship, you know. And so I think Stephen was brilliant to pick that out of these chapters and the way he spells

it out in a way that's really applicable for all of us, you know

And then there's his score. Yeah. How beautiful is it singing? You already recorded one of his numbers

What is it like singing the songs of Stephen Schwartz, particularly this show

I mean, the music is, you know, bar nine. some of the best theater music out there

Also with this huge choir, a couple of my songs have the choir, like I'm kind of leading the choir

so I'm really excited to get to sing and have such a wall of support from 400 people

you know, getting to sing with them and just bring the score to life

is something I'm really looking forward to. Yeah. The passion in the lyrics, I think

is what really strikes me the emotion and the way that it really just strike the chord of the the angst of the relationships

and then the resolution and and the character really coming to grips with what it is that

he needs to with that relationship and the way that it's spelled out and the melodic choices

is just it's just so gratifying to sing it really is I know it's really it's really

really early in the process, do you have a favorite song so far that you're learning

I think my favorite song is Children of Eden actually The title song is just What is it about it I mean it just so soulful You know just the idea of Eve at the end of her life and looking over all the things that she accomplished and mistakes made and good things done and how her children are carrying her legacy on and the legacy of father and Adam are being carried on with her children and grandchildren and great

It's just a really thrilling act one finale and I love just the melody of it is so beautiful

beautiful, so I'm really looking forward to that. Yeah. I, you know, I am really drawn to let there be, you know, at the beginning

It's brilliant, isn't it? I mean, it really, it has all this wonder built into the lyric and the way it goes

back and forth, and the word choice, chromium waterfalls, you know, that kind of thing just

always makes me go, wow, that's an interesting choice, and it just, it paints the picture in your, in your

mind for you. I just, I really, I love that one and the power of it, you know

Yeah. Now, I want to talk about your director. I know your director is here, but I mean

you went to school with Tony Aspect. You just met Tony Aspect. He's going to be your director

You starred already. Talk about what you're enjoying the most and what you're looking forward to the most about working with your director, Tony Aspect. Well, you know, I know Tony as a friend

and I have so much respect for him as a performer, as a singer, a dancer, an actor. I mean, he does it all

And this is my first time working with him as a director. So I'm really excited for him to see him in this new chapter of his life as an artist

getting to be a director because I know he's going to be already fantastic at it

And so I'm looking forward to the process and watching my friend grow into this new avenue of artistry

That's beautiful. David, for you. Well, when we first talked, I said, Tony, I'm a student

and I've just made my whole career being a student. And he has been a great teacher so far

and really helped me through trying to find the intermeetings of the lyric and of the characters

And so I just can't wait to have more of that happen

You know, it's going to be good. This is also the perfect family musical

which I think we need right now. Yeah. Why you think it's such a great thing

musical? Well, first of all, it's one of the most famous stories of all time, Adam and Eve, you know, and Noah and the Ark

I'm really excited for my daughters to see it. You know, sometimes I do shows that they aren't able to see. They're 6 and 11, so it's really nice to be in a show that we're those

to see some kids on stage and that they can relate to it and understand the story and just enjoy it. So I'm really

looking forward to that. Yeah, I think it's done in a way that people might come to it expecting one thing

and they leave having received another. And they walk out thinking. And I think that's a great thing to have art do

You know, it walks out, you walk out, and you're thinking about what just happened, you know

So I'm excited about that. Finally, what are you looking forward to the most

February 18th, Lincoln Center, David Geffen Hall, Manhattan concert production, Children of Eden

That's a good list. I mean, that's the list, right? That's the list. We're looking forward to all of that and getting to share this with a new generation of people who maybe aren't as familiar with it as we were, you know

Absolutely. Well, this has been great to sit with you again. It's been great to meet you. I will see you during that whole week of the journey

Sounds good. We can't wait