to see THE SECRET GARDEN

Photo Credit: Time Stops Photography

On November 17th, 2024, we went to go to see theo’s masterpiece of a production of The Secret Garden. This show was directed by Christopher Pazdernik, and was based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett with music and lyrics by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon. 

The Secret Garden is a play about an orphan girl named Mary Lennox (Joryhebel Ginorio) sent to live with her uncle Archibald. Her aunt, Lily, (Brennan Martinez) who passed away, had a garden, (a SECRET garden) that was beautiful in every way. Mary was told about this garden by one of the groundskeepers, Dickon (Lincoln J. Skoien). Its entrance was hidden and so was the key. Her uncle had a secret son named Colin (Kailey Azure Green) with a strong sickness. Mary finds him in a bedroom and they bond. Mary finds the key and door to the garden, which reveals a dark, gloomy and unkept garden. Mary and her friends work together to restore the garden in time for spring. 

This is a beautiful play about discovering yourself and bonding with others. There were many differences from the book and the play. They added a character named neville, (the talented Jeffrey Charles) who is Archibald’s brother. He is a villain type who wants the estate for himself after Colin dies. Another difference was there were ghosts, like Mary’s deceased family (Rachel Guth, Nicholas Ian, and Maliha Sayed) and Lily. The ghosts were very interesting because they came in suddenly in all white to sing with angelic voices. The ghosts seemed stuck in their ghostly world  especially Lily, who seemed to always be floating and never spoke, only sang (with a heavenly voice like non-other). Joryhebel Ginorio who played Mary, the star of the show, was absolutely fantastic, not only did she look incredibly young (my sister thought she was actually a kid), she was also an incredible actor, so perfect for the role! Me and Margot especially liked the part where Mary absolutely PACKS the headmistress. 

Will Koski, who played Archibald, was one of my favorites, he was incredible. My sister and I have seen Will before in Into the Woods at Paramount Theater, but he was even more fantastic in this production because he was able to display his immense range in both acting and singing, hitting notes I never expected and showing a vast array of emotions depending on the given moment. We were so happy to see another one of our favorite Paramount actors from Into the Woods and Billy Elliott, Dakota Hughes, who played Martha in this production. It really is delightful to see an actor like Dakota playing such wildly different roles in so many productions over the last two years. We particularly enjoyed getting to see them break the 4th wall in this play, and nobody could do it better than Dakota, the true Deadpool. Martha’s scene partners included a massive chunk of the audience in this performance, which made Martha a very likable and funny character. 

I want to emphasize again that this play was an absolute masterpiece (and made my mom cry a bunch). Part of what made this play so good was the scenic design by Rose Johnson. There were minimal props or set aside from the permanent wall and door surrounding the audience. The minimal design was so impressive because so little  was needed to let you know where they are without even changing a single thing about the set. This has a lot to do with incredible direction by Christopher Pazdernik, his direction made me feel like I was watching a movie and I was the camera. Theo’s theatre is very small, so the seats are intertwined on and around the stage, allowing you to truly feel like you are a part of the play. Everything pieces together like a puzzle and fits perfectly, not a single piece was missed or out of place. I felt immersed in the music, like it was a part of me and flowing inside me. All of the storm songs were so dramatic and layered.  And the duets in this musical are all showstoppers, like ‘How Could I Ever Know’ and ‘Lily’s Eyes’, and’ Come to My Garden’.  A Bit of Earth was another stand out performance for me, Will Koski’s voice is unmatched. The Secret Garden is an absolute must see. Normally I would say who should see this play, and list some groups of people, but not now. Everyone should see this play because it’s a banger. I rate The Secret Garden 10 keys into 10 doors because it’s the Best Play of the Year.

Bye bye now, Gunnar