In this moving production of The Secret Garden, an orphan girl and a crippled boy rescue each other from loneliness when they both discover a passion for flowers.
This concert production, with book and lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon, features all the popular standards that audiences have grown to love, including, “Lily’s Eyes” and “How Could I Ever Know. Under the confident direction of David Zimmerman, this musical will enthrall audiences of all ages.
A glimpse of humanity
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the orphan Mary Lennox (played by the engaging Brooke Dobossy) is forced to live with her reclusive Uncle Archie after the death of both parents.
With no real playmates her own age, Mary is befriended by members of the staff – Martha (played by the terrific Kelly Brandeburg) and her brother Dickon (played by Ryan Wonnacott).
In the rambling, old mansion, which has its own secrets, Mary looks for the source of the crying she hears every night and attempts to tell her uncle about the noise.
Uncle Archie (played by the brilliant Kenneth Ruth) is haunted by ghosts of his own, namely, the ghost of his dead wife Lily (played by the lovely Laura R. Bassett).
Ruth is luminous as the grief-stricken uncle and is able to bring depths of emotion to each scene. Theater-goers might remember him in last year’s production of Jeffrey at the Attic in JC. In addition to his local theater credits, Ruth won the 2004 Best Supporting Actor Spotlight On award.
Unable to connect with his niece, he offers to buy her something. Mary replies that she would just like a “bit of earth” to plant a garden. Uncle Archie is confronted by his brother Dr. Neville Craven (played by Justin Birdsong), who tells him that Mary must go because of her resemblance to Lily. This poignant scene is followed by the fantastic duet “Lily’s Eye” sung by Archie and Neville.
While Mary is searching the grounds, Dickon tells her about Lily’s secret garden and tells her that she must find the key in the production number “Show Me the Key.”
During Mary’s late night wanderings, she discovers the source of the nightly crying when she stumbles into Colin’s room. After Mary calms Colin (played by Douglas Lupo) down, the two figure out that they are cousins. When Colin tells her that he thinks he is dying, Mary tries to find a way to help him by bringing him to his mother’s garden.
Spectacular chorus
There are plenty of full-cast production numbers in the show that display the dynamic vocals of the chorus.
Stevens has long been known for their top-notch musical productions, and this show is no exception. Under the musical direction of Meg Zervoulis, the cast spreads their wings.
There are truly moving pieces in the production like “There’s a Girl,” “The Girl I Mean to Be,” and the ethereal “Come Spirit, Come Charm,” which are sung by the entire cast.
The cast includes: Emily Beatty, Megan Buono, Tom Carberry, Leo Da Silva, Neil Dingow, Audrey Federici, Robert Gonzales Jr., Elise Jimenez, Heather Lattuca, Danielle C. Pennisi, Liza Poor, Maurice Richard, Elizabeth Sharts, and Laura Jean Smith.
Brilliant staging
Much can be said about the simple, yet brilliant staging. Director Zimmerman has chosen to focus primarily on the story and the music for this production.
Without complicated sets, the audience is drawn into the world at Misselthwaite Manor in England, which is both melancholy and sweet.
In a bit of inspiration, Zimmerman has the ghosts at the manor seated on an elevated platform on the stage, so there is no confusion between characters living and dead.
“You know, I just wanted to create a clear story,” said Zimmerman. “Many people I’ve talked to said that it’s confusing. Who’s alive? Who’s dead? So when you see a ghost present a memory, you know it’s a memory.”
Another aspect of the production that Zimmerman wanted to highlight was the music.
“Certain songs – ‘Lily’s Eye’s’ and ‘Come to my Garden’ – to be able to present them with a full orchestra is really spectacular,” he said. “Plus we have a spectacular cast.”
The Secret Garden opens this weekend at DeBaun, Fifth and Hudson streets, Hoboken. The show plays Oct. 17, 18, 24, & 25 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 19 & 26 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 students & seniors, and $15 for children. In addition there are packages for dinner and a show. For more information, call (201) 216-8937 or visit: www.debaun.org.
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