Date: Fri 19-Jul-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A9

Quick Words:

Secret-Garden-Richter-Stern

Full Text:

(rev "The Secret Garden" @Musicals at Richter, 7/19/96)

Theatre Review-

Good "Garden" Not Necessarily A Kids' Show

(with photo)

By Julie Stern

DANBURY - When I was a kid in elementary school my mother gave me a copy of

Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden and told me to read it. It took me

about two years, because for the first seven or eight attempts, getting into

it was like tackling one of those slippery glass mountains in a fairy tale - I

would get as far as the second chapter or so and then slide back down.

That was because the initial situation is so scary: Ten-year old Mary's

parents and everyone else she knows are killed by a cholera epidemic in India,

of which she is the only survivor, and she is transported halfway across the

globe to the isolated Yorkshire estate of her mother's widowed brother-in-law,

a hunchbacked recluse who takes her in only because there is no one else in

the world willing to have her. And at the outset, Mary is such a rude,

spoiled, unappealing little wretch, it is hard to care what happens to her.

However, one rainy afternoon I dug my heels in and made it to the point where

Mary meets Dickon, who talks to the birds and animals and coaxes her into

discovering the joy of the outdoor world, and I was hooked. She finds her

invalid cousin Colin and passes her new attitude on to him, and together the

three children venture into the secret garden and bring it back to vibrant

healthy life, even as Mary and Colin themselves are transformed into strong,

happy, independent youngsters.

My mother was right, and I joined the ranks of millions of American and

English kids for whom this became a favorite classic, and a vicarious learning

experience: Like the best children's literature, the book works by getting

readers to confront the dark side of life and letting them identify with

characters who muster up the strength to tackle it.

Now the musical version of The Secret Garden is on stage at Richter Park in

Danbury. It is important to understand that while this show is definitely

drawn from the Burnett children's book, it is not a children's show. That is,

Marsha Norman, who won a Pulitzer for her play Night Mother , about a

depressed woman contemplating suicide, won a Tony for writing the book and

lyrics for The Secret Garden . She has made a work about the need to confront

death and loss and work through them in order to get on with life.

In plot, this is still the story of little Mary coming to Misselthwaite Manor

in Yorkshire and making friends with Dickon and Colin. But equal attention is

given to Uncle Archibald, who must learn to overcome his grief for his lost

wife. Further psychological tension is introduced through Archibald's younger

brother, Neville, who seems to be offering genuine moral support but whose

motives seem questionable.

Mary and Archibald are presented as a pair of grieving mourners, and to

dramatize their preoccupation with death and loss, the show uses the device of

having all the dead people (the officers and wives from Mary's father's

regiment) stay on stage as a chorus.

As each person dies of cholera in the first scene, he or she waves a red

handkerchief. Those handkerchiefs are then symbols indicating the person is a

ghost. This is the sort of thing kids in the audience would have trouble

understanding unless it is carefully explained to them. It is only when Mary

and her uncle are freed from their enslavement to the past that the ghosts

will slip away.

Lucy Simon's music, which my husband and I enjoyed very much, is also not

typical kids' music. It is far too subtle and complex, using fugues and

harmonies and variations on English folk melodies to give a feel for the

Yorkshire countryside.

Unfortunately, on the night we attended, the show had to be stopped near the

end of the first act because of bad weather, so we did not get to see the

entire production. We did see enough, however, to appreciate the fact that

director Chuck Rinaldi has done a terrific job and has put together an

outstanding cast that mixes amateurs and professionals in a seamless unit.

Rosalynn Basford is most impressive as Mary Lenox, and Tom Cochrane gives a

fine performance as Archibald Craven. Greg Marzullo is absolutely outstanding

as Dickon, and recent Newtown High graduate Tracey Otwell is very good as his

sister, Martha, the cheerful house maid who brings Mary a jumprope and starts

her on the path to self-sufficiency.

Finally, Mr Cochrane's set designs are very clever, especially with the way a

formal English garden is represented by a menagerie of slightly offbeat

topiary, reminiscent of floats at a homecoming parade. These alone makes the

show worthwhile to very young children, who might otherwise be rather confused

by the events on stage.

This is a great show for adults, and for children who are old enough to know

the story and understand some judicious explanations by their parents.

I know we plan to use our ticket stubs as rainchecks to see a complete

performance before The Secret Garden closes July 27. I recommend you go to the

show, too.

Musicals at Richter are presented at 100 Aunt Hack Road in Danbury. The Secret

Garden will continue, Thursday through Sunday at 8:30 pm until July 27.

Tickets range from $10 to $14 each, depending on the night of the show.

Picnics are encouraged, bring blankets or lawn chairs; grounds open one hour

before the performance.