***** It is not often that Chicago is greeted to a solid “Chamber Musical” , but I have been witness to two glorious examples of same in the past 7 days. Tonight, I was witness to the most beautiful production I have ever seen of  “The Secret Garden” with a book and lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon ( based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett). It is a story about a family that has been both torn apart and then with just the right touch finds a new family created out of love that  stems from secrets that become discovered.

Under the solid direction of Christopher Pazdernik, who understands the cabaret concept perfectly, the audience is immersed into the story that is told primarily through the music. There are but a few spoken lines…most are sung. Whenever I attend a Theo  production, I am astounded by the talent that they seem to find, or perhaps the talent that seeks out this small intimate theater with a reputation for making theater comfortable as well as affordable. Their new home in Evanston is just as cozy ( easier parking , for sure) as the original and it is always great to see Fred sitting in the audience. I missed the opening night, so I missed that smile, but I looked over that way tonight  and it sure looked like his smile was there!

The cast for this production is amazingly talented with voices that are pure magic. If you have never seen this musical, and you love a great story, this is just that. A young girl, Mary Lennox ( Joryhebel Ginorio is amazing) has been raised in India, but her parents and servants die, so she is shipped back to her only family in England. Her uncle, Archibald ( played to perfection by Will Koski, who truly amazes me each time I see him with his range of abilities) has lost his wife, Lily ( deftly handled by Brennan Martinez) and his grief is far from normal. He has a son, Colin ( a solid performance by Kailey Azure Green) who is bedridden and cared for by Archie’s brother Neville ( Jeffrey Charles), a physician who has ulterior motives for this.

It turns out that Lily had a garden that she adored, and since her death, Archibald has had it  locked away. Mary finds the key and with the aid of Dickon ( a superb performance by Lincoln J. Skoien) and a lot of love, they bring the garden to life along with  some surprises regarding Colin. There are some surprises that I will leave for you to see for yourself. I will tell you that this is a wonderful ensemble piece and that  each performer exceeds the expectations of the audience members. Bill Chamberlain as the garden keeper, Dakota Hughes as Martha, Nicholas Ian as Albert ( Mary’s father), Rachel Guth as Rose ( Mary’s mother) Mizha Lee Overn  as Ayah, ( Mary’s nanny) and Kathleen Puls Andrade as Medlock, the housekeeper for Archibald. There are also some pit singers, Evan Morales and Kate McQuillan to round out the cast. Quite impressive! The ghost scenes are powerful too.

The musical director Carolyn Brady (piano)  and her two musicians , Kim Lawson (violin) and Ben Heppner (drums) bring the music to life ad never overpower the wonderful voices on the stage. While there is not a great deal of choreography in this story, the few places where we do see it are wonderful thanks to Nich On’Neil. The lighting (Levi J. Wilkins) and sound (Matthew R. Chase) as well as the costumes (Lucy Elkin) and properties (Ellen Markus) are perfect. The scenic design by Rose Johnson works to perfection given the space that they have to work with and the audience being part of the stage area. Another winner for THEO!

 

“The Secret Garden” will continue Thru – January 5th with performances as follows: