Review: Cincinnati's SECRET GARDEN Delights

I was shocked and then realized I was behind the eight ball when hearing that Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park would open its season with a musical interpretation of The Secret Garden. Shocked because I somehow missed that my beloved girlhood book and movie had been turned into a musical. Albeit this occurred back in 1991, but still I found myself curious as to how the story would translate into this medium. Well I watched the performance of this version and I have mixed thoughts.

Before I get into the specifics of this particular production, I must mention that I was not a true fan of the book (meaning the script), but I was completely transfixed by the music.The first act, like most first acts, was slightly slow and sweet but not fully enthralling. However, the second act was engaging and enlightening. As adults we often overcomplicate the experiences of our lives; but when we have the rare gift of looking through the open eyes of a child we sometimes see the simplicity of our issues.

This production had absolute stand out actors and some who could maybe have used a little more time to prepare. Cameron Bartell, Dickon, has a wonderful voice however his notes couldn't soar as they should have because of the movement intensive blocking and dancing of his character. His breath control issue was quite obvious and he could have benefitted from either having another month to prepare his body or by cutting out about half of the jumping around. Charlotte Maltby, Martha, was enchanting. Her smile and laugh lit up the stage, but she struggled with too many notes. Not knowing Ms. Maltby myself I cannot speak to whether or not the role of Martha was outside of her vocal range or if it just sat in that awkward place for most female singers, right between the chest and head voice. What I can say is that this actress needs to decide where she is placing her sound within her body because she seemed unsure of it which led to us hearing confusion instead of the confident notes I'm sure she is more than capable of producing. Caitlin Cohn, Mary Lennox, was an absolute joy to watch. She took on the persona and physicality of Mary so well that it left the audience convinced she was herself a child, when in fact Ms. Cohn is an undergraduate student at NYU. Ms. Cohn's grasp and ability to portray the complicated emotions of her character leads me to believe that she will be a large success in the theater world. I look forward to seeing her finding success despite her incredibly small stature. Caitlin, I hope you like heels! In no particular order Brandi Burkhardt (Lily Craven), Kevin Earley (Archibald Craven), and Adam Monley (Dr. Neville Craven), were to sum it up FLAWLESS. The depth and richness of their voices, their to be coveted breath control, physical and facial expressions, and grasps of their characters subtle nuances left me feeling as though I had seen a Broadway caliber show.

The production quality was almost perfect. Narelle Sissons minimalist set design and function was beautiful and creative as she literally turned the stage into the pages of the book that this story comes from. However, I have seen absolutely beautiful sets from Ms. Sissons and I felt that she could have done more with the mansion, and especially the garden. When the garden finally bloomed, it looked like a scene from a Dr. Seuss tale; it might have been best to keep this imaginary, as it had been throughout the musical. Leon Wiebers' costume design, Matthew Richards' lighting design, and David Bullard's sound design could not have been better. Sariva Goetz and Michael Sebastian headed up the musical team, and as I said earlier the orchestra truly drew me into this fictional world.

Marcia Milgrom Dodge, the director and choreographer, with the support of Cincinnati's Playhouse In The Park, brought us to a garden. A place full of dreamers, played by a flawless ensemble, that for a few hours we got to be a part of.

The shows runs through October third and it is definitely worth seeing.

Photo Credit: MIKKI SCHAFFNER

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