LOST IN PARADISE.

Brethren, let us ponder Eden, at least what we know of it on Broadway. At its most whimsical--in, for instance, "The Begat," in Burton Lane and E. Y. Harburg's "Finian's Rainbow" (1947)--Eden was a sensational place, full of rousing wonder and wit, and, judging by its gospel sound, evidently integrated:

The Lord made Adam, the Lord made Eve,, He made 'em both a little bit naive., They lived as free as the Summer breeze,, Without pajamas and without chemise., Until they stumbled on the apple trees., Then she looked at him, and he looked at her,, And they knew immedjetly what the world was fur.

For a long time, references to Eden weren't too common on ...