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by:  Krista Threadgill

In 4th grade, my teacher read The Secret Garden to my class.  I was completely entranced by the story of Mary Lennox and her quest to find the locked garden hidden away on her uncle’s estate and to discover the source of the mysterious cries she heard in the night.  Weathervane Playhouse has recaptured the magic and mystery that I so loved as a child in this production of the Tony award-winning musical The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, based on the classic book by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Mary Lennox (Emily Cipriani) is sent to England to live with her eccentric uncle, Archibald Craven (Jonathan Bragg), after her parents, Albert and Rose (Todd Lemmon, Darien Crago), die from a cholera outbreak in India.  A sad, sour little girl, Mary grudgingly befriends some of the household staff, including the maid, Martha (Sara Michalski), the groundskeeper, Ben Weatherstaff (Dennis Kohler), and Martha’s younger brother, Dickon (Brice Corder).  Mary learns about secrets hidden in the house, including the death of her Aunt Lily (Samantha Mastrian), the machinations of her uncle’s brother, Dr. Neville Craven (Timothy Patrick), and her elusive cousin, Colin (Daniel Kelly).  Her curiosity and contrariness drive her to unlock the mysteries of the house and to break the spell of sadness that has haunted her uncle for over a decade.

Under the direction of Matthew Trombetta, the cast brings light and life to dark and dismal Misselthwaite Manor.  Cipriani has a maturity of voice and professionalism of performance rare in a 7th grader, while still retaining the playfulness of a child.  Kelly’s Colin is solid, but he struggles to hit the high notes called for in his songs.  Michalski delights the audience as the lively Martha.  Corder’s Dickon is energetic and riveting, and his songs perfectly match his sprightly exuberance.  Mastrian’s singing is haunting and lovely—ideal for the specter of love lost.  Bragg and Patrick sing an incredible duet with “Lily’s Eyes”, and Bragg’s later duet with Mastrian, “How Could I Ever Know,”  leave the audience teary-eyed and sniffling.  Lemmon and Crago both perform well as the ghosts of Mary’s parents and bring a parental tenderness to all of their scenes.

The set for this play (designed by Adam Liston) is remarkable—a two-story structure to represent the manor house and the titular secret garden dominate the stage without overwhelming the space.  The costuming is spot-on for early 20th century England without appearing too “costumey.”  Erika Twinning’s choreography is lovely and expressive; the dance scene with Dickon and the garden statues he brings to life is particularly well done.  The orchestra, under the direction of Judy Rauch, is fairly solid, but the bass drum tends to overshadow everyone, and the brass section—particularly the trumpets—struggles to hit high notes.  The lighting design by Jennifer Sansfacon seems to suffer in this production: missed cues, random flashes of light, and actors plunged in shadow or overly lit were just some of the mistakes witnessed.  The sound designer, Tony Tambasco, should run some additional checks on the actors’ microphones; several times, body mikes dropped out or were drowned out by the orchestra.  Perhaps a few more runs will straighten out the kinks in an otherwise solid performance.

This was my third trip to Weathervane this summer, and I can’t sing its praises enough.  I know it’s way out in Newark, forever off the beaten track.  It’s a nice drive, though (especially since I found an alternate route to avoid all of the construction on 161).  I promise that you won’t regret the adventure.

Weathervane Playhouse presents The Secret Garden at the Mary A. Alford Memorial Pavilion located at 100 Price Road, Newark, Ohio.  Shows start at 8:00 p.m. July 31 and August 1, 5-8.  A matinee will be presented at 2:00 p.m. on August 8.  Tickets range in price from $15 to $23 and are available at the box office before the show or you can purchase them online through their website at http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.org.  For more information about this show or the upcoming educational programs that Weathervane will be offering this fall, please visit their website or call the box office at (740) 366-4616.