THE SECRET GARDEN—Golden West College Mainstage Theater
- TheShowReport
- 40 minutes ago
- 5 min read
A Charming and Mystical Timeless Classic!
APRIL 26 – HUNTINGTON BEACH
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel about a young girl's struggle to find herself in an alien society now permeates the halls of the Golden West College Mainstage Theater in Huntington Beach through May 4th. But whatever heroine Mary Lennox is made of, it is clearly not merely sugar and spice.
Wrenched from a life of privilege and orphaned by a cholera edpidemic in India, and shipped halfway around the world to the dismal Yorkshire estate of her uncle, she must come to terms with her grief over the gruesome deaths of her parents. Unfortunately, her uncle's pathological depression caused by the loss of his young and beautiful wife may be more than she can take. Ironically, the characters in her disrupted life story are drawn with little ambiguity, and she finds herself emotionally and morally challenged to the point of being, at times, her own worst enemy.
With its iconic score by the late great Lucy Simon, and a brilliant, updated book by Marsha Norman, “The Secret Garden” brings a whole new generation back to the theatre, experiencing Warren Carlyle’s fresh and authentic take on this beloved musical all over again.
Nominated for seven Tony Awards and winner of Best Book of a Musical as well as two Drama Desk Awards, this enchanting musical is based on Burnett's turn-of-the-century tale about understanding and compassion. Guided by Ms. Simon’s exceptionally beautiful score, the audience was swept away with Mary's unapologetic curiosity as she is joined with unlikely companions transporting her on a thrilling quest to untangle the pieces of her family's past and – most importantly – discover herself in the process.
Mary, played by Elizabeth Last (revisiting the role after playing Mary Lennox in “The Secret Garden” at Chance Theater; Mary is alternately played by Bellami Soleil Smith), is taken in by her embittered Uncle Archibald, played by the wonderful Jay Harbison. His Misselthwaite Manor estate in North Yorkshire, England, with its symbolic maze of gardens, is a morbid shrine to his beloved wife, Lily (the beautiful Orange Curtain Award Nominee Mary Frances Conover), who was the sister of Mary’s mother. Lily died while giving birth to his son, Colin (played by Ellie Liu; alternately played by Annalise Steele), who is looked after by Archibald’s venal and jealous younger brother, Neville (Steve De Forest).
Uncle Archie locked the manor's garden after his wife, Lily, died and shut off their then newborn son, Colin, in a wing of his own to flounder in a presupposed, yet undiagnosed crippling sickness of sorts.
The story is a steady journey from clammy darkness into blazing light. Lucy Simon, who wrote the underappreciated music for Broadway’s “Doctor Zhivago,” is an unabashed pop romantic whose songs for the musical express heartfelt sentiments with an eloquent simplicity. Hers is a sensibility well suited to a post-Victorian allegory peopled by restless ghosts and pervaded with a supernatural hush.
The production, directed and staged by the award-winning Broadway veteran Martie Ramm in a broad storybook style, is a beguiling and more than satisfying update to the original work. The score’s best songs — “I Heard Someone Crying,” “Come to My Garden,” (sung with a rich bursting warmth by Ms. Conover) and “How Could I Ever Know?” — all expresses pent-up yearnings whose release is a powerful force.
The stage is populated with recurring waltz sequences, variously depressed mortals and suddenly materializing sopranos with glumly low spirits as Archibald's wife, Mary's parents and others who have died keep appearing and disappearing. Mary and Colin are hostile, disagreeable and throw tantrums, Archibald sulks, and Dr. Craven, his younger brother, continually plots to send Mary away. It can be said that Misselthwaite Manor lacks a good deal of mirth.
Yet, to the credit of Director Ramm’s vision, as well as a definite upturn in the general aura cast by very personable actors, the more commonly dour oppressively symbol-strewn elements of Norman’s book is downplayed using a humorous approach in places, rendering a brighter and more highlighted performance. Still, there is little that can be done about those lurking, hovering phantoms that sometimes emerge, entrapped as if they were singing portrait prisoners. It simply comes with the property.
Lively roles, however, are all cheerily played belonging to Martha (Gabi Gauthier), Mary's chambermaid; Dickon (Joey Nestra-West), Martha's brother, who knows how to make a garden grow and has a nearly magical way with animals; and Ben (Kevin Larson), the old caretaker who knows the garden's history. They can all be depended on to deliver a few resounding wake-up calls.
The Indian traditional number (“Come Spirit, Come Charm”), a sprightly dance performed with striking elegance by Mary, Martha, Dickon and Company, provides welcomed diversity on an otherwise conventional score. Vocal execution, particularly from the ghost characters, are as exhilarating as it is foreboding, and is dramatically adroit throughout. But nothing about the story can distract from the power of the cast that has been assembled to perform it or the technical virtuosity with which it is staged.
The costumes, set and lighting are hauntingly beautiful, depicting a world of decaying grandeur that slowly comes back to life. But the real stand-out is the music, which is rich and beautifully sung. Jay Harbison and Steve De Forest’s duet “Lily’s Eyes” is a superb number (as Dr. Craven and Archibald) ending on a soaring note that induces a burst of adrenaline.
Throughout the play, the scene choreography was extremely clever, with assistance and coordination by the company and the spirits of those who died in India. “I Heard Someone Crying” was a mesmerizing effect, and of particular allure is the scene in the garden where Mary sings the poetic, “The Girl I Mean to Be.”
“The Secret Garden” is a wonderful reminder of the healing power of nature, laughter, and love. It is a beautiful story, a profound story…and one with a simple, underlying moral. There is something about Mary’s and Colin’s transformations, however, that is very soothing to the soul. With a lush score filled with haunting operetta style ballads and English folk melodies, this magnificent, heart-warming musical is filled with much charm and wholesomeness.
GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE THEATER ARTS PRESENTS, THE SECRET GARDEN, Based on the novel by FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT; With Book and Lyrics by MARSHA NORMAN; Music by LUCY SIMON; Directed and Staged by MARTIE RAMM. Scenic Design by TIM MUELLER; Costumes by AMANDA MARTIN; Lighting Design by MATT SCHLEICHER; Sound Design by DAVE MICKEY; Makeup/Wigs/Hair Design by MICHON GRUBER; Production Stage Manager NICOLE RUDDER; Musical Director & Conductor RICK HECKMAN.
WITH: MARY FRANCES CONOVER, ELIZABETH LAST BELLAMI SOLEIL SMITH, MARK TORRES, JANELLE CATBAGAN, NOVALEE SMEDLEY, LIAM CAVANAUGH, MARCUS VEYETTE, NATHAN TRUONG, CHRISTIAN BROWN, SAFFRON BRAUER, SARAH CABRERA, BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN, HANNA HARTENHAUER, KATIE MACDONALD, VIENNA SMITH, REBECCA WADE, JAY HARBISON, STEVE DE FOREST, CARRIE VINIKOW, GABI GAUTHIER, JOEY NESTRA-WEST, KEVIN LARSON, ANNALISE STEELE, ELLIE LIU, LYDIA MCRAE, CHRISTIAN BROWN, VIENNA SMITH, LYDIA MCRAE.
THE SECRET GARDEN plays from April 25-May 4, 2025 at Golden West College Mainstage Theater, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm. For tickets, see https://gwctickets.universitytickets.com/
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
Photo Credits: Greg Parks
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