Arden's musical 'Secret Garden' imbued with joy
It is said that Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote The Secret Garden after the death of her 16-year-old son, and its macabre magic still resonates 100 years later. Mary Lennox is a protagonist whose irritating coldness melts before your very eyes - she's a strange little girl. But in the Arden Theatre's version of the musical adaptation, director Terry Nolen and scenic and video designer Jorge Cousineau have imbued Mary and her story with joy that the novel only grazes.
It is said that Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote The Secret Garden after the death of her 16-year-old son, and its macabre magic still resonates 100 years later. Mary Lennox is a protagonist whose irritating coldness melts before your very eyes - she's a strange little girl. But in the Arden Theatre's version of the musical adaptation, director Terry Nolen and scenic and video designer Jorge Cousineau have imbued Mary and her story with joy that the novel only grazes.
Marsha Norman's book and lyrics and the music of Lucy Simon (Carly's sister) turn the story of Misselthwaite Manor in North Yorkshire into a grand, romantic musical fit for the Arden's F. Otto Haas stage. Nolen and Cousineau's vision renders the production simply extraordinary.
A digital camera projects a live simulcast onto a white screen that reflects a rotating carousel of miniature sets (located just below the lip of the stage), replete with eye-popping detail. It is captivatingly creative and inspired. As Mary finds herself orphaned in India and sent across the moors of England to her Uncle Archibald Craven's mysterious residence, the projections take us with her on an ominous voyage.
The show is stolen by two performances. Jeffrey Coon plays Archy Craven, said to be a humpback, but with only a slightly curved shoulder in this production. And Martha, Mary's brazen country nurse, outstandingly performed by Alex Keiper.
Young Mary herself is sung delightfully by an alarmingly talented Bailey Ryon, and Dickon is brightly realized by Steve Pacek. Keiper's version of "A Fine White Horse" was awe-inspiring, as was Pacek's take on "Wick." And when Archibald sings with the ghost of his late wife, Lily (Elisa Matthews), the results are hauntingly vivid.
Nolen emphasizes rebirth in nature and cyclical revitalization, moving onward after loss, and transcending victimhood with determination. All are characterized in the reprise of "A Bit of Earth," a song inspired by Mary's request for a plot to grow flowers in - an innately human desire to cultivate life, not destroy it.
The posthumous love story between Dr. Neville Craven and Lily becomes surprisingly central in the musical, less so the magic behind Mary's discovery of the key to her secret garden, the wonder of her having her very own private garden, and the significance of full-throttle childhood. Mary is not nearly as awful in the musical as she's portrayed in the first chapters of Burnett's book.
"A Girl in the Valley" and "How Could I Ever Know" were splendid duets, with Coon and Matthews. "Come Spirit, Come Charm" touches on the fetishization of Eastern culture inherent in everyone's fascination with Mary's time in India. And "Come to My Garden" is as gorgeous as ever. On the backs of some brilliant singers and virtuosic scenic design, this version blooms.
Through June 19 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St.
Tickets: $15-$50. Information: 215-922-1122 or ardentheatre.org.