The Diaries of Adam and Eve at Colorado Stage Company

The opening night of this play was a tremendous success. They had a very enthusiastic audience who seemed to love every minute of the play.

Everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve, but Connie, Bill, and the Cast brought these biblical figures on stage and made them truly humanized and timeless. They characterized the humor and understanding of life's realities that have marked relationships between men and women since the beginning of time to the present day. This is a play about the oldest love story of all time. It is a very funny and entertaining performance that will throw you off guard while leaving you feeling a deep connection with the way the two characters symbolize the traits of a typical male-female relationship.

Here's the story behind the story of ADAM AND EVE
based on Mark Twain's Own Love Story

This is compiled from multiple sources by
Constance Cawlfield

In 1867 after glimpsing at a cameo photograph of Olivia Langdon, in her 22nd year, Samuel Clemens stated: "I loved her from then on." He also had said, "But for marriage, I wouldn't have a girl I was worthy of. She wouldn't be respectable enough." This was typical of Clemens' brilliant, sardonic humor.

Olivia was a delicate beauty and a devout classics-educated daughter of Elmira Langdon, New York's first family.

Ten years her senior, Clemens was a redheaded rascal who came out of small-town poverty in Hannibal, Missouri with a formal education that ended at age 11. Then thirty-two, the newspaper correspondents was becoming famous as Mark Twain. He and Olivia met several months later in New York City. There, Samuel accompanied the Langdon's to a reading by Charles Dickens on New Years Eve. Dickens' career was ending while Clemens' was just beginning.

That evening also marked the beginning of a rather long courtship. Olivia had turned down his proposal of marriage three times but he was persistent and continued to woo her with 184 letters that she called "The loveliest love letters that ever were written." She eventually gave in to his persuasiveness and said yes. He called her "Livy"...she called him "Youth." Three children followed their marriage and they built their home at "Nook Farm" in Hartford, Connecticut. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and many other very famous works were written there and Livy would always be the first to read them.

"Ever since we have been married, I have been dependent on my wife to go and revise my manuscripts.....I don't always know just where to draw the line in matters of taste."

He lost his fortunes as quickly as he made them and in 1891 the family moved to Europe where his wealth went a "little" farther. In 1894, in Italy, he completed The Tragedy of Pudd'Nhead Wilson and started to write Extracts from Adam's Diary. He thought "It was a little gem if I do say so myself." After many revisions, it was finally published in 1897. Twain modeled Adam after himself, endowing the First Man with the laziness that he often and proudly owned up to. In fact, he was a most prolific writer who regarded his work as "play."

He began an "autobiography" of Eve in 1901. This would become a most difficult project. After numerous false starts, he finally put it aside stating, "There are some books that refuse to be written."

By 1902, Livy's health began to decline and because the doctors believed her husband's presence caused "psychological distress," only five minute visits were allowed...occasionally...for two years. They communicated by notes delivered between his writing room and her sickroom. Between bankruptcy, Livy's health, and the death of their eldest daughter, Clemens writings had grown darker and more cynical. Since he always felt reluctant to serve his readers anything but the shenanigans expected of the Great Mark Twain...the humorist, he contemplated publishing The Prince and The Pauper anonymously. He feared it would be too refined for his readers. It turned out to be Livy's favorite.

Livy's health improved and a milder climate was recommended to speed her recovery. They chose Italy and Samuel wrote "Yes, I am glad we are going to Italy. You will get well there." On June 5, 1904 Livy died, only six months after they arrived at the peaceful villa in the Italian countryside. Clemens wrote, "I am a man without a country. Wherever Livy was, that was my country."

He then moved to the seclusion of New Hampshire and found the right form for Eve's story. "Eve's love story, but we will not call it that." This was to become Eve's Diary and Livy's eulogy. Then, and only then, did he write from a woman's point of view. It was published in 1905 at Christmas time.

Extracts from Adam's Diary was published in 1904 and Eve's Diary was published as a book in 1906 with added new pages from Adam's Diary.

Their tales conclude at Eve's grave where Adam's solitary presence reflects the writer's own loneliness wit the last words. A tender expression of love and loss....."Wherever she was there was Eden."


The Denver Post published a review to be proud of. Although it got three out of four stars, this reviewer never gives four stars for some reason. The review itself, though, is glowing and he has only wonderful and positive things to say.

Below is more detailed information about Colorado Stage, the play itself, and the people behind and in the spotlight. If you find yourself in the Denver area in November, go see this play!

The Diaries of Adam and Eve

November 2008

The Diaries of Adam and Eve Translated by Mark Twain Directed by Constance Cawlfield

Before "Men Are From Mars".....there was "Adam and Eve." Based on works by the immortal Mark Twain, Adam is puzzled by this new arrival in his garden. He wishes she would talk less and he's very suspicious of her disturbing appetite for fruit. For her part, Eve is curious about Adam, who she concludes must be some kind of reptile, although it probably is architecture. Eve goes about naming everything, much to Adam's annoyance, but they come to love each other. Adam comes to know that........ "Wheresoever she was...there was Eden." While the story is about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; our production is set in the Victorian era of Mark Twain in costumes and stage pieces. "Delightfully entertaining for the whole family." The Crew Director Connie Cawlfield Constance has been a professional actress for over 30 years touring in well known national productions, costarring with many celebrated actors in film & theatre. One of her 200 national commercials received a "Cleo" award for best national comedic commercial of that year. In LA, she co-starred & had re-occurring roles in Knotts Landing, Hill Street Blues, Superior Court, & The Young and the Restless. She had featured roles in films such as The Rose and Murder in Peyton Place. She may be best known for her network animated series, Super Friends, as the voice of Wonder Woman. She has taught acting for commercials and on-camera cold reading. As a director, she created a Podium Theatre in LA and directed there as well. She has been the director on most of the productions for CSC and is proud to be one of its founding members. Producer and Sound/Lighting Design Bill Cawlfield Bill is a 35-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry, recipient of CEDIA's Lifetime Achievement Award and named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the Home Networking / Home Control Industry. Bill has produced all the performances of our theatre to date. He has also created all of the lighting and sound for the Colorado Stage Company's productions and is a founding member. The Cast Part Played By Eve Michelle Paul Michelle Paul, (Eve) feels so blessed to be exploring The Bible According to Mark Twain through this play. She has performed all over the Metro Denver area for over 20 years in plays, musicals, murder mysteries, piano bars, and private parties and some random TV shows and commercials. Favorite roles include: Viola in Twelfth Night, Yente, the matchmaker in Fiddler, Nancy in Oliver!, Agnes in I do!, I do!, Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense, Peggy in the Taffetas, and Taffeta Christmas, Lucy in Narnia and Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. I am proud to say that I work as a Standardized/Simulated Patient for various Medical/Professional Training institutions and as a Professional Christmas Caroler for the Original Dickens Carolers. My job as Mother-of-3 (young adults) is on flex-time lately as we have one left in the nest and two others visiting during school breaks or when they need me to go with/take them shopping. Much gratitude and love to Patrick, for his friendship, professionalism and wit, thanks to Bill, Connie, and Stuart for giving us a fun place to play, and thank you, Ken and Anna for holding down the fort and for unconditional love, and most importantly, thank you for supporting the arts! I couldn’t be here if you weren’t! Adam Patrick Hurley Patrick is excited to be back with Colorado Stage. Patrick originated the role of Delightful in "Dearly Departed" at the Avenue theater. He also had the opportunity to play Max Nuggett in "Murder Most Fowl" also at the Avenue. Other work includes Biff in "Death of a Salesman" at the Upstart Crow in Boulder and most recently as Bobby in "Walking the Dead" in a regional theater outside of Los Angeles. After five years Patrick is somewhat nervous about his return to the stage so feel free to laugh a little bit harder for him...and feel free to applaud a little bit longer... Patrick wants to thank his parents for their ongoing and unending support and to Cory without whom nothing would be possible. "It is great to be back home on the stage, I love acting" because as Oscar Wilde said..."it is so much more real, than life...