Review: Hale Centre Theatre's THE SECRET GARDEN is Special

THE SECRET GARDEN on the Hale Centre Theatre Centre Stage in Sandy is a special mounting of a special musical--a feast for the eyes, ears, and soul.

THE SECRET GARDEN (book and lyrics by Marsha Norman, music by Lucy Simon) is a lush retelling of the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. When young Mary is orphaned and sent from India to Yorkshire to live with her estranged uncle, Archibald, she discovers a world and family foreign to her, including a tale of a lost and forsaken walled garden that had belonged to her deceased aunt, Lily. As she resolves to find and tend to it, she and those around her also begin to grow and blossom bit by bit.

The more than competent cast breathes life into the characters, including Quinn Dietlein (double cast with Keith Evans) as a haggard Archibald, weighed with worry; Lisa Zimmerman (double cast with Brittany Andam), with a highly trained soprano voice, as Lily; Olivia Dietlein (double cast with Kelsey Plewe) and Toby Worland (double cast with Blake Burnham) as the grieving Mary and Colin, respectively; and Ben Butters (double cast with W. Bryan Buhler) and McKelle Shaw (double cast with Erica Schoebinger) as the earthy Dickon and his effusive sister, Martha.

Special notice should be given to Jessica Sundwall Hudson (double cast with Lauren Pope) as Lily's sister, Rose, and Alex DeBirk (double cast with Kelton Davis) as Archibald's brother, Neville. Both give grounded, intriguing performances with enjoyable vocals.

Director Dave Tinney has thoughtfully staged the interplay between the spirits of those who have passed on and the scenes among the living. The representation of cholera and its impact on Mary is especially resonant and emotional in our current world.

The set by Kacey Udy is artistic and meaningful with its monochromatic design and distinctive reflective flooring. The lighting by Jaron Hermansen, at times somber and at others saturated, uniquely reflects from the set in an array of dazzling hues. It is an arresting sight.

Joy Zhu's lavish costumes bring a bygone era to life and add an ethereal quality to this spiritual story of death, life, and healing.

How to Get Tickets

THE SECRET GARDEN plays through October 23, 2021. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.hct.org.

Photo Credit: Hale Centre Theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.