Monday, September 24, 2007

• Cleburne Times Review: The Secret Garden

  Cleburne Times Review: The Secret Garden

  REVIEW: Story is visual and musical feast

  By Matt Snider/special to the times-review
  

  There are many reasons to see "The Secret Garden," which opened Thursday night at the Plaza Theatre. For starters, let's talk about the visual and musical buffet this 1991, seven-time Tony Award-winning musical offers.
  
  The show is set in two locales: Bombay, India, and North Yorkshire, England, at the turn of the 20th century. The period and native costumes from both India and England, especially for members of British society and their Indian servants (remember, India was a British colony at the time) are absolutely gorgeous. Indeed, the variations in costumes for each character are perfectly carried out.
  
  For instance, while Archibald and Neville, two main characters and both British high society members (more about them later), wear their ascots and tails, the house servants, like Martha and Mrs. Medlock, are appropriately dressed in more modest, commoner's clothing. The attention to costuming detail was superb and the rich; the visual display is captivating and enticing and drew many "oohs and ahhs" from the very large, admiring, opening-night audience. Many kudos to Tina Barrus, who directed costuming.
  
  Then, there's the music, which was delightful and engaging, complimenting the lush costuming with an equally rich feast for the ears. Together the costuming and music, which was just a tad too loud in places for my ears, engage the audience from the outset and never let them go. Not all the actors, unfortunately, have wireless microphones and the sound system is still a bit inadequate except in volume, but the small, intimate, theatre-in-the-round somewhat offsets this difficulty.
  
  The acting, singing and dancing was perhaps the best the Plaza Theatre Company has set before the public since opening. They really nailed it on the whole. If this production were a gymnastics event, the score would be 9.5.
  
  This Marsha Norman-Lucy Simon play follows a simple theme and is loosely based on experiences in the life of the author of the original book, Frances Hodgson Burnett. The main character, Mary, a little girl born to wealthy British aristocratic parents living in India, experiences first tragedy, then a happy ending after a series of ups and downs and twists and turns in the time covered by the play.
  
  Mary's character is that of a strong-willed survivor who makes the best of her circumstances and manages to positively affect many of those around her. In Thursday night's production, Mary was portrayed by Molly Livingston, a newcomer to both Plaza and the nonschool stage. If Thursday night's performance was any indicator, Molly has a bright theatrical future in front of her.
  
  Molly established her stage presence immediately, easily handling her vocals and lines and interacting with the various other actors fluidly and with maturity. She handled difficulties with her microphone and stage props with aplomb. Molly is pretty and energetic, her smile will melt you, and her improvised English accent will delight, amuse and surprise you.
  
  Mary is sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, a widower still pining for his deceased wife, Lily, 10 years after her passing. Lily, whose life and love inspired Archibald, is played by Amy Atkins, who previously starred in Plaza's production of "Oklahoma!"
  
  Amy had one of the more difficult roles I've seen in a musical. She had to play a "memory," a presence in the heart and mind of Archibald, someone there but not there. Having a stage presence when the role is supposed to be invisible is darn near an impossible task. However, Amy pulls this off amazingly.
  
  Watch Amy carefully during the song "Lily's Eyes," toward the end of the first act, and you'll be in awe of her accomplishment. How she kept a straight face and completely composed is her own stage secret. Then, watch Lily and Archibald together in the hauntingly beautiful duet "How Could I Ever Know," and you'll be enamored of her voice, which was nothing short of perfect during Thursday's performance.
  
  Archibald Craven was played passionately and dramatically by Plaza newcomer Gregory Burton. Although I had never seen "The Secret Garden," it will be hard to put Gregory out-of-mind should I ever see it again. He, like Amy, did an excellent job and convincingly occupied a demanding role, both dramatically and vocally.
  
  Aaron Siler, a Plaza fixture, seems to be establishing himself as the go-to bad guy character actor, at least from his performances in "Oklahoma!" as Jud Fry and in "The Secret Garden" as Dr. Neville Craven. Dr. Craven, Archibald's brother, is physician to Archibald's invalid son, Colin, and little by little we see that his motives may not exactly be pure. Aaron looks great in his Edwardian black, long-tailed suit, and his rich baritone voice projects and fills the room with drama.
  
  Colin, the bed-ridden little boy with the bad temper, secreted in a distant room in the farthest reaches of his father's huge Yorkshire mansion, was delightfully played by Cooper Rodgers. Cooper, who has appeared in several Carnegie productions, most recently in "It's a Wonderful Life," is making his first appearance in a Plaza show. His character is central to the story, so watch carefully as Cooper ably peels back his character's layers while the show unfolds towards its hopeful, happy conclusion.
  
  Martha, Archibald's chambermaid who befriends Mary, played by Milette Siler, and Dickon, Martha's brother who is somewhat of a free-spirit who loves plants and birds, played by Wesley Bourland, both provide strong supporting performances and enliven the show with their energy and charm. Wesley is particularly charming, as his performance takes on an almost leprechaun-like feel, although he'd be a tall leprechaun.
  
  Jay Lewis, another Carnegie veteran, and principal of Cleburne's Gerard Elementary School, handles the gardener's role, Ben, and the gardener's secret, with two green thumbs-up. He looked very stylish and convincing in the Scottish flatcap he wore throughout the show.
  
  The remaining roles were filled with excellent choices, and space doesn't permit mention of all the members of the company. The choreography and frugal set design compensated well for the lack of space in the open performance area, and it almost seemed as if the space was enlarged for this show, though Plaza Theatre's JaceSon Barrus assured me it wasn't.
  
  The show's rhythm and timing follow a heartbeat pattern. First, there's an up-tick in mood and music, followed by a down-tick, and then an interlude of acting followed by a transition as the next scene forms. The initial scenes also seemingly whiz by in a flurry of activity as we're whisked from India to England. But the initial scenes, with their rich costuming and activity serve as the necessary preamble to the fullness of the rest of the performance. If you pay close attention here, you'll enjoy the show so much, you'll wonder where the time went.
  
  Don't miss this show; you'll love it. And read the synopsis of the show in the playbill you'll receive when you buy your tickets. It will help you thoroughly enjoy every nuance of detail.
  
  "The Secret Garden" runs through Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, with two performances Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. For information, call 817-202-0600 or visit www.plaza-theatre.com.

  
  

  

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