Review: THE SECRET GARDEN is Dark and Lovely at University of Nebraska Omaha

THE SECRET GARDEN, a musical based on the Victorian novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the second in a string of works in the University of Nebraska Omaha's 2018-2019 season featuring all female playwrights.

The musical was written for stage by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman with music by Grammy Award winner Lucy Simon (sister to Carly Simon.) It ran for one year on Broadway in 1991, winning Tony Awards for Best Book, Best Featured Actress, and Best Scenic Design as well as several Drama Desk Awards.

If I were to nominate Best Awards for UNO's production, I would be hard pressed to choose, but would definitely include Best Lighting/Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Performance by a Young Actress, Dina Saltzman who plays Mary Lennox.

Mary Lennox is the young child left orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India. She is sent to Yorkshire where housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Michell Blodgett) takes Mary to live with her reclusive hunchbacked Uncle Archibald Craven (Marcel Daly) and his brother Dr. Neville Craven (Nick Jansen) at Misselthwaite Manor. Mary doesn't adapt well, but is taken under the wing of Martha the housemaid (Jocelyn Reed) who encourages her to play outside. There Mary meets Martha's brother Dickon (Isaac Glover) and the gardener Ben Weatherstaff (Thomas Sheridan). Dickon and Mary seek the hidden entrance to a secret garden that had been kept by Archibald's deceased wife Lily (Shaina Smith). Within the walls of the manor, Mary discovers a second secret: the bed-ridden son of Archibald, Colin (Atticus Walker).

THE SECRET GARDEN is a dark story of death, ghosts, and loneliness. But like the garden left to disrepair, there is still life within the walls that only needs to be uncovered and tended. The story is predictable, but gratifying. We root for these characters as they deal with their ghosts and guilt and struggle to find a reason to live. It's a lovely story of rebirth and renewal.

This musical could call for a big, elaborate production. UNO is successful with its trimmed down presentation. Set in a thrust theatre with windowed partitions on rollers and windows that descend from the ceiling, the set is minimal and flexible. Lighting Designer Steven L. Williams and Scenic Designer Robbie Jones do a terrific job using simple, versatile moving pieces and lighting to create backgrounds that evoke a feeling. The windows of the partitions are made of a gossamer-like material that reflects and distorts the lighting as it changes from primarily blues and roses. The storm, the flash from the photographer, projected flowers on the floor and walls...it's all well done.

The cast, dressed in lovely Victorian or Indian inspired costumes, come and go from all directions within the theatre. Primarily in shades of ivory or white, the costuming also reflects the mood altering lighting. Detailed hats, brilliant red cloths, netting...all add interest and dimension. Costume designer Valerie St. Pierre Smith nails it.

The collaboration of the School of the Arts Theatre and School of Music in producing this musical results in a performance that draws the best out of the vocalists and actors.

Lucy Simon's music, often compared to other Broadway composers such as Andrew Lloyd Weber, is layered with complex harmony. Musical Director Shelby VanNordstrand manages a varied group of vocal styles and abilities so that they blend beautifully. Daly's rich vibrato baritone is just right for Archibald. Jansen's more contemporary voice adds a pleasing contrast when he duets with Daly in "Lily's Eyes." Smith's light soprano compliments Daly in the gorgeous number "How Could I Ever Know." Saltzman's pure clear voice suggests her youth but carries a professional competence. And Glover's (Dickon) voice is fascinating in its originality--I don't even know how to describe it, but it's cool.

Director D. Scott Glasser makes smart choices in conjunction with Choreographer Julian Adair. Scenes where ghosts are dancing and Archibald isn't physically connecting with Lily (she is "not gone, you see; just dead") and the Indian incantation scene are especially interesting.

There is humor in this production to lighten the sadness of a man suffering the loss of his wife and the handicap of his son. Walker is very funny in his portrayal of the demanding Colin as he declares he is dying. Jamie Herzberg brings laughs as the frustrated school mistress who is unsuccessfully dragging off Mary to school. And Salzman herself is comical as she eludes the school mistress with her antics.

All in all, THE SECRET GARDEN is a lovely production of a dark story. It is beautiful visually and musically. And it is a reminder that there is beauty even in darkness when we dig to uncover it.

Photo courtesy of UNO Theatre

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