Eve Adams in France 1930-1943
Written by Barbara Kahn
Music by Arthur Abrams
Directed by Barbara Kahn and Robert Gonzales, Jr.
Musical Direction and Choreography by Robert Gonzales, Jr.
Set and Lighting Design by Mark Marcante
Costume Design by Carla Gant
Sound Design by Joy Linscheid
Stage Manager Bill Bradford
Featuring Zina Anaplioti, Christopher Comeaux, Benjamin Davis, Claire Epstein, Robert Gonzales Jr., Gusta Johnson, Franco Pedicini
and Steph Van Vlack
Historical Background of the Play
By Barbara Kahn
Polish Jewish lesbian Eve Adams (born Chava Zloczower) ran a tearoom on Macdougal Street in New York’s Greenwich Village in 1926, which catered to artists, writers and actors, both male and female. She was deported from the U.S. as an “undesirable alien” and spent the 1930’s in Paris, selling banned books to English-speaking tourists. Eve and her friends Henry and June Miller and Anais Nin enjoyed both café and nightlife in France, while in Germany the Nazi government was banning and burning books and implementing its war against Jews, homosexuals and others deemed “undesirable.” These parallel worlds collided during World War II, once again putting Eve in triple jeopardy as a Jew, a lesbian and an immigrant. Composer Arthur Abrams has written an original score that reflects the rich musical influences of 1930’s Europe, including the popular tango, the waltz and ethnic melodies.
Unreachable Eden is a stand-alone sequel to The Spring and Fall of Eve Adams and is based on Eve Adams’ deportation file from the U.S. government as well as correspondence and photographs courtesy of her relatives.
“…if I wanted to write my experiences of my wanderings and people and adventures, which still continue with every blessed day, it would take me years to write and I could fill volumes…” -Eve Adams
