GetOut Magazine

‘Secret Garden’ blossoms in Fountain Hills
By MAX McQUEEN
Get Out
March 18, 2003

First the good news about ‘‘The Secret Garden’’ at Fountain Hills Community Theater: It’s a great little production of a great big show.

The bad? Judging from the wildly enthusiastic opening-night crowd, tickets will be hard to come by. I’ll bet first-nighters are still telling everyone they see to go see Lucy Simon (Carly’s sis) and Marsha Norman’s musicalization of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic. As well they should.

It can’t be easy staging ‘‘The Secret Garden’’ in a small space, what with its locales in India, England and a huge secret garden. What’s more, its poor director has to keep an army of ghosts swirling on and off stage without confusing playgoers as to who’s alive and who’s dead.

But Greg Jaye surmounts most all the challenges innate to this 1991 Broadway hit. His eye and ear are so on target that his good work will surely satisfy Burnett’s fans, while making new ones out of those unfamiliar with the tale of Mary Lennox, a British lass who is sent to live with a widowed uncle after her parents die in India.

The secret to ‘‘Secret Garden’s’’ success is a preteen lead who can sing, act, dance, throw tantrums and not tire out after two and half hours on stage. What’s more, she must be likable while being more than a bit bratty. Jaye has all this and more in Kendall Gaveck. She breathes genuine life into Mary, filling her with all the complexities of a grief-stricken girl starting a new life. That this 11-year-old can hold her own vocally with veteran performers only adds to her appeal.

But Jaye doesn’t leave Gaveck to go it alone. He surrounds her with seasoned pros who undergird her knowing performance. As Mary’s bereaved uncle, Jason Lee MacDonald is the perfect melancholy counterpart to Mary’s bundle of energy. He’s vocally in top form, whether on the tender ‘‘A Bit of Earth’’ or the sunny ‘‘Race You to the Top of the Morning.’’

On ‘‘Lily’s Eyes,’’ one of the most stirring ballads ever written for the stage, MacDonald and Brian Sweis (as Mary’s greedy uncle) join forces on a duet that never fails to bring on the tears. Tender tears also flow each time Janine Smith caresses the haunting melody out of ‘‘Come to My Garden.’’ She’s Mary’s deceased aunt whose long-dead secret garden is revived by Mary.

Outstanding work is also offered by Katie Williams-Ivie as Mary’s maid. Her ‘‘Hold On’’ ranks as a go-for-it command on the order of ‘‘Climb Every Mountain.‘‘ As the manor’s free spirit, Tyler Service had enraptured playgoers in the palm of his hand on ‘‘Winter’s on the Wing’’ and ‘‘Wick.’’

Save for a few shaky ensemble voices, Jaye gets strong work from everyone. That includes Brennan Hillard as Mary’s spoiled-rotten cousin. This 12-year-old is the most believable boy I’ve seen in a role that’s all too often played one-note. As the gardener, Todd Carrie carries his brief time in the spotlight on ‘‘It’s a Maze.’’ Amy Powers and Scott Schmelder make the most of their brief appearances as Mary’s doomed parents.

Noel Irick’s seamless choreography gives the dense material much-needed lightness. She even manages to keep the constantly moving actors from crowding each other on the company's new stage, which is still small, despite being twice as large as the theater’s former space. Musical director Flora Mogerman does her usual ace job of underscoring vocalists' strong points while covering their weaknesses.

Having seen ‘‘Secret Garden’’ done equally well last month at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, I have been twice reminded of the durability of this family musical. Its music is so rich, it attracts the best musical theater voices. With such talents in hand, all the directors have to do is nurture them and let them blossom in the lush melodies and heartfelt lyrics that enrich ‘‘Secret Garden’’ from start to finish.

‘The Secret Garden’

Who: Fountain Hills Community Theater
When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Ends March 30.
Where:Fountain Hills Community Theater, 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd.
How much: $10-$15
Info:
Grade: A-