Genesis Opera is Born Out of One Man’s Passion to Bring the Bible to a New Audience in a Whole New Way

Eloy Sherlock is a man with a mission…to set the Bible to music and combine the age-old text with a powerful and dramatic score that allows people to experience the Book of Genesis in a way they never have before.
“The Genesis Opera is the story of you and me,” says composer and producer Sherlock. “It is everything we are. It is our beginning, it is our end.” The opera is taken directly from the King James Bible and tells the story of God’s covenant from the moment of creation to Noah and the flood. Sherlock has been working on his musical adaptation for several years, and decided to embark upon this project because “people understand things through music in a different way than they do through text.”
Sherlock has assembled a diverse group of talented Southern California musical theatre veterans to bring his vision to life, a group he calls “the most talented people I have ever come across.” Dennis Lavalle, who plays Satan, is a graduate of the prestigious NYU/Tisch School of the Arts with numerous credits to his name, and is also an acting coach who has worked with such A-list talent as Vanessa Hudgens, Rachael Leigh Cook and Gabrielle Union, to name just a few. “When I met Eloy, he told me I was born to play Satan… I wasn’t sure how I should take that!” he said, smiling. He then added, “It has been a rare privilege to be a part of something that is so important.”
According to Laura Bahr, who plays the Angel Narrator, “I was hooked from Moment One. It is a beautiful and visceral way of ‘feeling’ the book of Genesis. Watching it come alive, watching the audience react to how powerful this music is, how powerful the story is, how it brings the sacred text to life for people…there’s nothing like that.”
Veteran performer Steve Greenberg’s larger-than-life presence is perfectly suited for the role of God. Greenberg, who met Sherlock while singing Tom Jones cover songs at a birthday party, recalled “Eloy came in and said ‘that’s the voice of God I need for the opera!’ And I guess the rest is the Book of Genesis!”
The music is performed with a live orchestra which includes Sherlock, an accomplished composer and musician, on keyboards.  “This has been the most satisfying experience of my life. This is not just a show. This is an event. This is something you will remember for the rest of your life.”
The Genesis Opera will be performed for the first time in Santa Clarita at the Canyon Theatre Guild on Main Street in Newhall. Show times are Friday, January 13 and Saturday, January 14 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and can be ordered by calling 661-993-9708 or by visiting www.genesisopera.com.