Weathervane Playhouse’s ‘The Secret Garden’ pulls out all the stops to a happy ending

I simply do not get it. For the life of me I cannot fathom why Marsha Norman’s (Book and Lyrics) and Lucy Simon’s (Music) “The Secret Garden” is such a popular production. The music is extremely complex having an almost operatic quality to it all in a minor key adding to the gloomy atmosphere. The costuming is extremely elaborate (spoiler alert: everyone dress in white is a ghost and there are a lot of ghosts). The lighting is somber right up to the last musical number. Being set in England, English accents are encouraged (of which American actors should be forbidden to even try and luckily this cast has toned them down). Most of all it is simply a depressing story.

It begins in India during a cholera epidemic (“Opening Dream”). Mary Lennox (Parker Towns August 23^rd, 27^th, 29^th  and September 3^rd and 5th) is a young precocious child who has little contact with the outside world (“There’s a Girl I”). Esther Nichols plays Mary Lennox August 22^nd, 28^th, 30^th and September 4^th and 6^th.

Mary’s father and mother as well as her Ayah (nursemaid) and everyone else in the household die as the epidemic sweeps through the household (during the musical number they are dropping like flies). The young sole survivor (Mary) is found unscathed and shipped off to her uncle Archibald Craven (Joshua Larkin) who lives in a gloomy manor house, Misselthwaite, in Yorkshire smack dab in the middle of the dreary and colorless moors. The manor’s housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock (April Deming) is tasked with fetching Mary once she lands in England and bringing her to the manor (“The House Upon the Hill”).

Archibald Craven is a reclusive widower with a hunchback who still grieves for his lost wife Lily (Sydney Jahnigen) who died during childbirth. His son Colin (Holden Peterson August 23^rd, 27^th and 29^th and September 4^th and 6^th with Luke Astrosky playing the roll on August 22^nd, 28^th and 30^th and September 4^th and 6th) is sickly due in part to Archibald’s brother Dr. Neville Craven’s (Micah Harvey) Victorian era medical treatments that seem to strive to make the patient as uncomfortable as possible. It is thought that if the patient can survive the cure he can survive the illness. Neville also sees to the managing of the manor house. The house is haunted by various ghosts including Lily and Mary’s parents Rose and Albert (“There’s a Girl II”).

Mary is angry at the turn her life has taken and cops an attitude towards her new surroundings and care takers. During her first night she hears echoes of crying voices. (“I Heard Someone Crying”). The next morning Mary meets Martha (Emily Schrader), a young chambermaid who encourages Mary to get outside and explore the gardens and maze in which a hidden secret garden is located (“If I Had a Fine White Horse”). Meanwhile Archibald is still overcome with grief over Lily who Mary resembles (“A Girl In the Valley”).

Mary goes exploring the topiary maze and soon discovers the secret garden whose walls are covered in ivy. She meets Ben Weatherstaff (Eric Steckel) (“It’s a Maze”) whose job had been to keep up the garden (Lily’s favorite place) but has been locked up since her untimely death. The locked door has been lost in the bramble of weeds and vines. Mary comes across Martha’s brother Dickon (Keon Dalziel) who using druid mysticism to invoke spring weather (“Winter’s On the Wing”). Dickon claims he can talk to the various animals in the garden and teaches Mary the Yorkshire dialect in order to talk to a robin who in turn guides Mary to the hidden key (“Show Me the Key”). Dickon also gives Mary some seeds so that she can start her own garden.

Mary returns to the manor to find Neville and Archibald discussing Nevill’s abandoned medical practice in order to care for Colin. Mary asks Archibald for a bit of earth in order to plant a small garden using the seeds Dickon gave her. Archibald agree telling Mary that she can have as much soil as she wants. This cements in Archibald’s mind the closeness of Mary to her Aunt Lily as his wife had loved gardening (“A Bit of Earth”) as a huge storm soon takes over the manor (“Storm I”). Neville and Archibald both grieve over Lily showing how both brothers loved her in their own way (“Lily’s Eyes”).

Mary once again hears crying voices (“Storm II”) but this time finds their source. It is Colin who is confined to bed since birth by Neville who has convinced that he will become a hunchback like his father. Colin tells Mary that he dreams nightly of a man who comes to visit him, reading from a magical book (“A Round-Shouldered Man”). It is in fact Archibald reading a tale about a prince and a dragon.

As the two children become close Neville and Mrs. Medlock burst in and forbid Mary from ever seeing Colin again because he is so fragile. Mary runs outside through the storm where Lily’s ghost shows the location of the hidden door. Mary inserts the key (“Final Storm”) and is able to enter the garden. The second act pretty much follows the same gloomy trend with Mary sneaking Colin to the secret garden where the fresh air seems to revive him. It is only at the final song (“Finale”) that light floods the stage and everything and everyone is made bright, happy and well. Tra-La-La.

So why would you want to drive all the way to Akron to see this downer of a musical? It is because this production is exemplary. The soloists are superb with special notice to the opening night cast of Sydney Jahnigen as Lily, Parker Towns as Mary, Joshua Larkin as Archibald, Emily Schrader as Martha, Keon Dalziel as Dickon, Holden Peterson as Colin, Heather Curtis as Rose and Micah Harvey as Neville. In this group very special notice to Parker Towns as Mary who is involved with eleven songs as well as some highly dramatic scenes and doing them all superbly.

The ensemble work is finely done as well. Jasen J. Smith’s costuming is period correct and elaborate. Jack-Anthony Ina’s lighting design maintains a certain mood of gloom right to the end. Marissa Leenaarts’ choreography is inspiring. The very difficult score is handled by music director Ron Hazelett. The sound design by Kevin Lambes and Christopher Pepe is crisp. Lastly, the stage design by Richard Morris, Jr. is nothing short of ingenious with a central set of rolling stairs making up the manor and garden. This just short of two and a half hour (plus intermission) production is expertly directed by Melanie YC Pepe.

Weathervane Playhouse has done it again with a superb cast of 32+ filling the stage with song and dance. While the story takes a circuitous route to a happy ending it does eventually deliver just in time for the audience to depart for home feeling well entertained. Make the drive to Akron and see this gem.

Weathervane Playhouse’s production of “The Secret Garden” will be on stage at 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron through September 6, 2026. For more information and to order tickets go to http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com or call (330) 836-2626.