Operatic `Secret Garden' enchants
The musical, based on the novel by Frances Hodgson, centers around Mary Lennox (the young Julia Krohn), a young English girl whose parents die during a cholera epidemic in India. Somehow spared by the disease, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle, Dr. Archibald Craven (Joe Kirkendall).
Her uncle, however, isn't much of a guardian. Ever since the untimely death of his wife, Lily (whose ghost is played by Susan Kenyon), he has withdrawn from the world, even to the point of ignoring his ill son, Colin. The care of the house and Colin has instead fallen upon the shoulders of Dr. Craven's brother, Neville (Ilich Guardiola), who has villianous motives to run the household for himself.
The house where Mary finds herself is haunted by ghosts; these ghosts have frozen the household in time, cursing its occupants to forever relive unhappy memories.
In this loveless situation, Mary finds joy in the gardens surrounding the Craven house and becomes friends with the servants. However, there is one place on the grounds that she may not enter: a walled garden that belonged to Lily and was locked up by Archibald after her death. Mary makes it her quest: rejuvenating the garden and the whole household that has for so long been haunted by the past.
The haunting yet joyous music, not the story, makes this musical worthwhile. At times, the music is almost operatic in its prosity and use of multiple parts. Many musicals can't escape the fact that the transition between spoken dialogue and song is very noticeable. However, in The Secret Garden , the flow of music throughout the play is almost seamless with music providing background even to some of the more mundane scenes. As a result, the singing never stands out but seems a natural continuation of the dialogue.
Krohn fills the part of Mary well. Her singing voice is beautiful but is hurt by lack of volume; often, it's hard to hear the lyrics, or she is drowned out by supporting singers. Kirkendall as Craven also suffers from softness of voice.The singing of the rest of the cast is quite good.
The music creates a magical atmosphere, but the underlying story goes by quickly, sometimes too much so. With some of the characters, only thumbnail sketches of their motives and feelings are given. We're left not feeling as attached to some situations as we should be. That doesn't prevent the musical from evoking lots of emotion from the viewer; it's just that the task is left to the music.
The backdrops are three large books whose pages the characters turn whenever there is a scene change; it's a neat effect that adds to the whole childhood magic of the musical. The rest of the set, however, is straightforward, even simplistic. Bring plenty of imagination.
The Secret Garden is for family types who like magical childhood tales. However, with finals being what they are, such a escape to the simpler times of adolescence may be just what you need.
The Secret Garden , directed by Rob Babbitt, plays at Hamman Hall from Dec. 7 to Dec. 23. Times and prices vary; call 524-6706 for info.
This item appeared in the Opinion section of the December 8, 1995 issue.
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