TONY
AWARD WINNER |
November 19 - December 26, 2010
The Secret Garden,
the Musical
Music by Lucy Simon
Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman
Directed by Casey Long* & KC Wilkerson**
Musical Direction by Mike Wilkins**
Choreographed by Robert Hahn
- 11/22/10 REVIEW: Orange County Register
- 11/22/10 REVIEW:
StageSceneLA
WOW! - 11/23/10 REVIEW: Yahoo! Associated Content
- 11/23/10 REVIEW: OC Arts & Culture
- 12/02/10 REVIEW:
Coast Magazine
- Read Patron Reviews
THEATER REVIEW
'Secret Garden' blooms with theatrical riches
in Anaheim Hills
Chance Theater production realizes full potential of Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon's
Broadway musical of the 1909 story.
by Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
[ Link to OC Register l Post your own review ]
 |
| Sarah
Pierce and Kyle Cooper Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic 1909 children's novel "The Secret Garden" has been called mystical, poetic and enchanting, descriptions equally befitting the musical stage version that opened on Broadway in 1991.
Considering Chance Theater's annual holiday stagings of similar shows like "Anne of Green Gables," it's a surprise the company hasn't tackled this one sooner. Perhaps it was waiting until enough musical theater talent had coalesced around it. At any rate, that time has come, resulting in a superb staging whose flaws are minimal when compared with its riches.
With Marsha Norman's libretto and Lucy Simon's music (lyrics by Norman), "The Secret Garden" joins "Anne" and the Broadway musical version of "Little Women" as the third offering of Chance's annual "Holiday Literature" series.
Set in 1906, the story begins in India, where 11-year-old Mary Lennox (Sarah Pierce) survives a cholera epidemic that takes the lives of her parents. Soon, the authorities ship Mary to England and into the care of her only living relative, her uncle Archibald (Paul Kehler).
Happy ending? Hardly. Archibald and Mary are practically strangers. His wife Lily, Mary's aunt, died in childbirth, and her spirit haunts Archibald's gloomy estate on the moors in North Yorkshire.
Still consumed with grief, Archibald also agonizes over his sickly son Colin (Dillon Klena), bedridden for all ten years of his young life and convinced he's fated to die. His doctor, Archibald's stern brother Neville (Jason James), does little to alter that perception.
Of course, "Secret Garden" would have little uplift if something in this glum scenario didn't give or change. What happens is that the lonely Mary gradually befriends Colin, the estate's young gardener Dickon (Kyle Cooper) and Dickon's sister, the young chambermaid Martha (Kellie Spill).
More importantly, she discovers her aunt Lily's immense garden, whose metal doors have been locked by Archibald since Lily's death. The story traces Mary's finding the hidden key and restoring the once-glorious garden. The spiritual counterpart to this process sees Mary and nearly everyone around her become revived.
Unlike most large-scale musicals, this one is deliberate, pensive and thematically (and here, visually) dark, a mood only partly tempered by lighter, more fanciful moments. The result of this balance is a lyrical musical that evokes the mixture of hope and fear, and the sense of something mystical, found in Burnett's novel and, often, in other successful children's books. ...
Kehler's dark clothing, dark hair and beard, solemn mien and soft, expressive, plaintive tenor project Archibald's nature – gentle, shy, considerate, and painfully aware of his inability to successfully parent Mary.
Klena is an engaging Colin whose initial petulance gives way to touching optimism, and his pure vocal style serves him well in duets with Pierce and with Laura M. Hathaway as Lily. Cooper's playful portrayal of Dickon is a delight, complemented by his vigorous tenor, and Spill's Martha is equally cheery.
James makes the tricky role of Neville work by balancing his smug, priggish, inflexible exterior with private self-loathing and an almost crippling grief for his unrequited love, Lily.
Hathaway is lovely as the ghostly Lily, with Rachel McLauglan giving us a sour turn as Rose, Lily's sister, and showing that Mary initially inherited her mother's cranky disposition.
The songs reflect recent musical theater classics like "Les Misérables" and the powerful influence of Stephen Sondheim, especially in choral numbers where the use of dissonances is pronounced.
Mike Wilkins' musical direction capably rearranges Simon's score for a small ensemble. On piano, Gloria You provides the score's underpinnings, with Callie Galvez's cello and Jonathan Proctor on various woodwinds filling in around her.
The direction by Casey Long and KC Wilkerson pulls the show's many disparate elements into a cohesive whole that will challenge young audiences and hold the interest of older viewers.
Robert Hahn's choreography seems an organic outgrowth of Simon's sublime score. Wilkerson's sets, lighting and projections, Long's sound design and Erika C. Miller's costumes likewise look and feel like part of Burnett's novel.
The climactic, full flowering of the once-secret garden is suitably bright but could use a wider variety of colors to visually express the intended metaphor. This, though, is a small quibble for a production that does so much to serve its story and characters.
Contact the writer: emarchesewriter@gmail.com
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THEATER REVIEW
The Secret Garden
by Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
[ Link to StageSceneLA l Post your own review ]
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| Sherry
Domerego and Sarah Pierce Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
The Chance Theater puts its quality stamp on Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s The Secret Garden, a musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children’s novel.
Readers will recall the book’s heroine Mary Lennox, the (initially disagreeable) young English girl born and raised in the British Indian Empire, then orphaned at eleven when an outbreak of cholera kills everyone around her except poor, parentless Mary. Sent back to England to reside with her only living relative, her mother’s widowed brother-in-law, Mary finds herself stuck in the gloomy Yorkshire moorlands, not particularly welcome in her new abode, and spookily surrounded by the ghosts of those cholera victims (who serve as a kind of Greek chorus in Simon and Norman’s musical).
Fortunately, Mary does make a friend or two among the servants. There’s Martha, the spirited young chambermaid and her nature-loving brother Dickon, who introduce Mary to the titular garden, locked since her Aunt Lily’s death. Our heroine also makes the acquaintance of her apparently sickly young cousin Colin, confined to his bed since birth by his hunchback father Archibald, a grumpy sort of fellow who seems to think that 24-hour bed rest will keep his son from developing his own disfiguring hump. Archibald is aided in this peculiar treatment by his physician brother Neville, still suffering from an unrequited love for Lily, his brother’s late wife and Colin’s mother. (A very pregnant Lily had gotten it into her head to sit on a tree branch, which then broke, causing Lily to fall, go into labor, give birth, and die. Moral: Don’t sit on a tree branch if you’re very pregnant.)
Dickon informs Mary that her aunt’s seemingly dead garden is still “Wick,” i.e. merely dormant, there still being “a single streak of green inside it.” Not about to give up on her highly dysfunctional family, a noticeably less disagreeable Mary determines to return the garden to life, nurse Colin back to health, and bring about a reconciliation between her young cousin and the father he believes does not love him. (We in the audience know that Archibald in fact adores Colin, though he has a strange way of showing it—reading to the boy while night after night he sleeps clueless to his father’s attentive bedside presence.)
The Secret Garden (The Musical) opened on Broadway in 1991 and ran for 709 performances, scoring seven Tony Award nominations and winning two (for Norman’s book and Daisy Eagan’s performance as Mary), with the show’s Tony-nominated songs (music by Simon, lyrics by Norman) capturing the sound and feel of the Yorkshire moors.
Not surprisingly, virtually all aspects of the Chance Theater production reflect the quality that has become a hallmark of Orange County’s premier intimate theater over the past decade. Imaginatively directed by Casey Long and KC Wilkerson, The Secret Garden benefits immensely from Wilkerson’s scenic, lighting, and (most especially) projection design, which transport the audience from India to England, from the gloomy rooms and hallways of the Craven home to the outdoor moorlands and to the garden which will, as we can easily guess, blossom simultaneously with Colin’s health.
The cast assembled by Long and Wilkerson could hardly be better, beginning with the enchanting Sarah Pierce as Mary, the latest in a string of roles which have made her the Chance’s leading under-14 star. Paul Kehler (Archibald) and Jason James (Neville) do splendid work as good-brother, bad-brother, the siblings’ memories of the unfortunate Lily inspiring a gorgeously sung “Lily’s Eyes.” As Lily’s oft-present ghost, the stunning Laura Hathaway gets Simon and Norman’s most glorious creation, “How Could I Ever Know?”, which she sings gloriously. Kyle Cooper does winning work as the hunky, good-natured Dickon, his rendition of “Wick” a charming Act One highlight. Kellie Spill makes for a lively, spunky Martha, Dillon Klena is a fine and feisty young Colin, and Sherry Domerego nicely channels Rebecca’s Mrs. Danvers as the black-clad Mrs. Medlock. Richard Comeau does his accustomed fine work as gardener Ben. Embodying the ever-present “Dreamers,” the cholera victims who have followed Mary back to England with her, are the vocally gifted sextet of Miguel Cardenas (Fakir), Eloise Coopersmith (Mrs. Winthrop), Courtney Davis (Ayah), Rachel McLaughlan (Rose Lennox), Maxwell Myers (Major), and Robert Parkison (Albert Lennox).
It’s these ubiquitous (and some of them quite scarily coiffed) ghosts that make The Secret Garden rather too intense for young children, who in any case are probably not old enough to appreciate the musical’s focus on the adult relationships only hinted at in the novel.
Under Mike Wilkins musical direction, the entire cast vocalize and harmonize to perfection, though a stronger three-piece orchestra would do their voices considerably better justice. Although The Secret Garden isn’t a dancey musical per se, the Chance production does benefit from Robert Hahn’s bright choreography. In addition to Wilkerson’s all-around sensational designs, Erika C. Miller’s striking costumes contribute greatly to the show’s classy look. Long’s sound design too is topnotch. Hair and make-up design by Julie Wilkins is mostly first-rate as well, though what’s with those birds’ nest hairdos sported by a couple of the female ghosts, even when doubling as living characters? Dialect coach Glenda Morgan Brown gets the cast speaking in just the right accents. Teodora I. B. Ramos is stage manager.
With considerable talent behind it, The Secret Garden will be weaving its musical spell throughout the holiday season. Though not quite “for the entire family” as it is billed, older children and adults will find it hard to resist its magic and mystery.
The Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills. Through December 26. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00, Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00. Special performance December 22 at 8:00. Reservations: 714 777-3033 www.chancetheater.com
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THEATER REVIEW
The Secret Garden: The Musical
- a Theatrical Review
by Randall Gray, Yahoo! Associated Content
[ Link to Yahoo! Associated Content l Post your own review ]
 |
| Kellie
Spill and Sarah Pierce Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Imagine, if you can, being a young person in a foreign country and finding that not only your parents, but also every other person you know has died of cholera. Now imagine that after learning of this horrific fact that you are whisked away to another country that you are unfamiliar with to live with a relative you have never met or even heard of. Now, add the fact that it is overly apparent that you are not only not wanted in this new location, but you are actually a constant reminder of all the pain and heartache that seems to permeate the very fibers of the residence and its occupants as well. It might be extremely hard to find joy in anything, right? Well, this is the story of Mary Lennox, a young woman in exactly this situation in the The Chance Theatre's current run of The Secret Garden: The Musical, now playing.
The Chance Theatre and director Casey Long (a job shared by fellow director K.C. Wilkerson) have done it yet again, a phenomenal production that is more than worth the time and price, is genuinely a MUST SEE! Staged with another ingeniously designed set, premier lighting, and a live three person orchestral group, this production does not miss a single beat in holding the audience's attention and respect. This classic children's story brought to stage has found a temporary home that is just as superior quality as any Broadway theatre house.
In this production a thirteen-year-old Sarah Pierce, who more than seems capable of holding the leading role in a major production, portrays Mary Lennox. Her innocent, yet mischievous persona seems so perfectly suited to this role that the viewer has no problem envisioning her as this unfortunate child. The deceased aunt (appearing in spirit form only), Lily Craven, is masterfully portrayed by Laura M. Hathaway. Her stage presence and spectacular soprano voice carry the production from start to finish as the one true love of widower Archibald Craven (portrayed by Paul Kehler), the custodian of young Mary. Mary's inspiration for hope comes from her nanny Martha, spectacularly portrayed by Kellie Spill, and Martha's brother Dickon, stupendously portrayed by Kyle Cooper. (Both Kyle Cooper and Kellie Spill will be reprising their previous roles in The Who's "Tommy" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in February - another DON'T MISS production.)
Surrounded by supporting cast members that all give a top-notch performance on their own, this ensemble delivers a production that you are not going to want to miss out on. The Secret Garden: The Musical plays at the Chance Theatre November 19 through December 26, 2010. Performances are held Thursday and Friday at 8PM, Saturdays at 3PM and 8PM, Sundays at 2PM and 7PM, and they even have a few select Wednesday performances at 8PM. Call the theatre directly to confirm your time and reserve your seats at 714-777-3033, or log onto their website at www.chancetheater.com. The delightfully designed and managed Chance Theatre is located at 5552 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim Hills, CA.
DO NOT MISS THIS WONDERFUL PRODUCTION, IT WILL HELP YOU TO REMEMBER THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT LIFE SENDS YOUR WAY, GIVING OF YOURSELF AND YOUR ABILITIES CAN ALWAYS MAKE THINGS BETTER! What more delightful production could anyone ask for during these upcoming holidays when selfish greed, loneliness, personal solitude, and inept misery far too often imprison those enduring hardship? The holiday season is supposed to be about giving, caring, understanding, enlightening, and encouraging others, and The Secret Garden helps to remind even the most estranged curmudgeon of these facts.
On a separate note, be aware that the Chance Theatre is a not-for-profit organization with a long history of excellence in theater and education. Currently, like most businesses, they are attempting to finish off the fundraising for their upcoming season. GFS, Inc., a long time supporter of The Chance Theatre, has very generously offered a matching grant of $10,000, which means that if you enjoy the work and love for the arts that The Chance Theatre offers, every dollar that you donate to their upcoming season will be matched up to that $10,000 mark. That said, make a reservation to see The Secret Garden, or their other holiday production of The Eight Reindeer Monologues (running November 30th to December 21st, 2010), and consider adding The Chance Theatre to your end of the year gift giving.
Happy Holidays to All, and Enjoy!
Randall Gray
Featured Theatre Critic
Associated Content by Yahoo
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THEATER REVIEW
"Secret Garden" burgeons passion
by Hannah Petrak, OC Arts & Culture
[ Link to OC Arts & Culture l Post your own review ]
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| Richard
Comeau and Sarah Pierce Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
Transforming a small space into something significant is no simple endeavor. The Chance Theater, who has been churning out success after success, turned their stage into something so grand it seemed they used the same charms Mary Lennox used on her uncle’s secret garden.
Even though there was no room for a full orchestra in the musical “The Secret Garden”, the cellist, pianist and flute/oboe/clarinet player sat conspicuously on stage left. It brought more intimacy and it was a reminder how valuable live music is. Most of the voices were so dynamic they widened the room two-fold, particularly that of Laura M. Hathaway, who played Lily Craven. Hathaway brought a beautiful spookiness to the role of the ghost and her duet with Paul Kehler, playing Archibald Craven, was divine.
Sarah Pierce, the striking young girl who plays Mary Lennox, kept all eyes on her throughout the show. Even in her scowling when she discovered she has to move into her uncle’s haunted halls, Pierce had deep emotion bubbling beneath. She did an especially good job of progressing from a pouting child to an exuberant girl who charms the household with her contagious smile. Hats off to directors Casey Long and KC Wilkerson for finding this gem.
Pierce brought the riveting emotion in the end that other characters seemed to lack. Perhaps it is because of her youthfulness, but she brought tears to many eyes. The show contained another element unexpected, though. Many of the scenes were rather terrifying, especially for the young ones in the audience, and murmurs throughout intermission commented on the surprising eeriness. The numbers in which the ghosts sang and roamed the stage, especially when they surrounded poor Mary, worked well with the old time costumes and creative set.
Kehler and Jason James, playing Neville Craven, had good chemistry as brothers and their number “Lily’s Eyes” was not only superb to watch, but also revealing for both characters. Kellie Spill played the maid, Martha, and was a real delight because she played off of Pierce so well. Another voice of note was Dillon Klena’s, who played Colin Craven, the sick, down-and-out, glass-half-empty cripple. Klena is only 12 years old and yet he out sung most of the cast; and his bright energy propped up scenes that lagged.
Overall, this show was more engaging than expected. This isn’t the 1993 kids movie that you shed a single tear over. This production holds more true to the original 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, spooks and ghosts and all. Although most characters had different British accents than each other, perhaps intentionally in some cases, “The Secret Garden” was professional and complete. In the same way that Mary Lennox’s charm dance brought the dead garden to life, The Chance Theater seemed to enlarge each moment an actor would take stage to belt a number. This year’s Holiday Literature show at the Chance is enlightening and emotion-filled—a must for families.
The show runs through December 26. See www.chancetheater.com for details.
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THEATER REVIEW
Chance Theater cultivates 'The
Secret Garden'
by Lee Runnels, Coast Magazine
[ Link to Coast Magazine l Post your own review ]
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| Kellie
Spill and
Sarah Pierce Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio |
I chaperoned a small group of Orange County High School of the Arts kids up to Anaheim Hills to take in some theater. The venue: Chance Theater. The show: The Secret Garden.
I remember reading Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1909 novel when I was young. It was one of those books all tween girls read. Both ladies in my charge had read the book and seen the film adaptation, so they were very familiar with the story of young Mary Lennox and her adventures on the moors. My son was a newbie to the tale yet eager to see how the story unfolded. I was interested to see how this small theater would present this Tony Award-winning musical.
The Chance is an intimate black box space which seats only 49 guests. It is tucked away off the Imperial Highway exit and La Palma, and the theater itself uses the In-N-Out Burger as a navigational marker. We had a bit of a driving adventure en route and were happy to locate our destination prior to curtain time.
Approaching this unassuming venue made us feel like we were arriving to an underground club and we knew we were going to see something unique.
The story began, musically introduced by a diminutive three-piece ensemble, which were costumed and incorporated into the set design. We were whisked away to cholera-ridden India, using minimal propping on a stage which consisted of a slanted wooden platform. The impressive lighting and projection techniques, designed and manipulated by Co-Director KC Wilkerson, were highly effective and combined with some imagination, you were transported to the Edwardian mansion and gardens of Mary Lennox’s emotionally and physically challenged Uncle Archibald, played skillfully by Paul Kehler. Enter the ghosts, who aid in the telling of the rather depressing history of love and life lost, jealousy and entitlement. Costumed marvelously by Erika Miller, these spirits were stylishly outfitted in steampunk gear and sported the proper attitude to anchor the story.
The atmosphere of this play is intentionally dark, which works for this scaled-down adaptation. As the story unfolds, young Mary Lennox (performed by 13-year-old Chance veteran Sarah Pierce) evolves from a brooding, bratty orphan into a happy and loving young lady blooming from her experiences in the garden... get the symbolism? She is helped along with positive energy provided by the eternally optimistic chambermaid, Martha, performed wonderfully by Kellie Spill, and Martha’s brother, Dickon, played by Kyle Cooper.
Cooper seemed to be channeling a young Anthony Newley in his portrayal of the gardener who helps Mary find and restore her deceased aunt’s dilapidated garden. Laura Hathaway successfully uses her fantastic voice in her role as the ghost of Archibald’s lost wife, Lily. Other noteworthy performances included Dillon Klena playing Mary’s sickly spoiled cousin, Colin; Jason James as the enabling and resentful Dr. Neville Cravin; Richard Comeau as the affable head groundskeeper, Ben; Sherry Domerego as the prudish housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock; and Robert Parkison and Rachel McLaughlan as Mary’s deceased parents, Albert and Rose Lennox.
This cast took on the challenging musicality of this show; it is a tough one. Much like Evita, this story is told through song, with minimal dialogue. This musical boasts a 36-track score, when most musicals offer a reasonable 18 tracks. Music Director Mike Wilkins was creative in his use of his multi-tasking trio, comprised of Gloria You on piano, Callie Galvez on cello and Jonathan Protor on a host of instruments. The directional collaboration of Casey Long and KC Wilkerson was effective and they were successful in stripping this large Broadway show down to workable elements for a small stage.
Overall, a great theater experience for adolescents and adults... and you can get a burger after the show, which we did, of course!
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PATRON REVIEWS
What a beautiful experience
posted by Nancy Sweningsen on 12/13/10
I thought "The Secret Garden" was superb! Unbelievable how you were able to do so much with such a small stage!!!! Acting, especially by the actress playing Mary, set a very high standard. It was exemplary. I felt as though I was living the experience instead of just watching it. What a beautiful experience. Thank you.
