The Play of Adam at The Met Cloisters

The Met Cloisters and MetLiveArts present the world premiere of The Play of Adam, a medieval comic drama in a lively new English verse translation 

translated by Carol Symes
directed by  Kyle A. Thomas
with musical direction by Drew Minter.

Beginning in the Garden of Eden and ending with the expectation of Christmas, Adam is a holiday play for all ages and any age. This first fully-stage production at The Met Cloisters will be beautifully framed by the apse of the chapel of San Martín at Fuentidueña (Segovia, Spain) and by festive live seasonal floral decorations, accompanied by vocal interludes and period instruments.

Composed in colloquial Anglo-Norman French verse with passages of Latin plainsong, Adam updates the story of humanity’s fall and redemption, comically and poignantly addressing issues that are at once contemporary and timeless: ambition and desire, wealth and poverty, sibling rivalry, social mobility, challenges to traditional gender roles, and the uncertainties of political and cultural upheaval.

The Ordo representacionis Ade – “Format for Representing Adam,” also known as the Jeu d’Adam – is unique for providing original set and stage directions. It is the oldest European play in any vernacular language and dates from the mid- to late 12th century. It survives in a single manuscript from the early 13th century (Tours, Bibliothèque municipal MS 927). The original text and new verse translation of the play can be accessed at: https://www.academia.edu/10186872/Ordo_representacionis_Ade_The_Play_of_Adam_.