Reminiscing

Yesterday after a full day of rehearsals,  I began to reminisce about my favorite shows over the years.  The one show I would give anything to do again would be The Secret Garden.  It was an amazingly talented group of performers as well as a very intruiging show.  An extremely complex in musical score, and the plot line was very deep, dark, and thought provoking.  It is my favorite show of all times HANDS DOWN, and not because of the role I had in it, but because of the group of actors and actresses I had the chance to work with.  The show itself is phenomenal, the music absolutely beautiful; it should be considered an opera because the number of songs and their complexity.  Below is one of the reviews we received :)

The Secret Garden at Indian Springs Badham Theatre (CenterStage) 

Reviewed March 6, 2003 by Leonard Jowers

Pardon me for reviewing a show in which I have some personal interest, but after a while in Birmingham theatre it is hard to avoid a personal interest. The Secret Garden showcases several talented old friends and some exciting newcomers. Two of these newcomers are Kendall Johnson, and Adena Williams. One can tell from his portrayal of Fakir, that Kendall Johnson has an exceptional voice, quality and range, and stage presence that would add to any production. Adena Williams’ Rose made it clear that she too is a veteran of quality theatre. I commend both to Birmingham’s theatre community as persons well worth recruiting for lead roles. 

Not a newcomer to Birmingham theatre, but seldom on stage here, is Brent Jones of Tuscaloosa. Brent masterfully developed the character of Uncle Archibald better than one normally expects a character in a musical to be developed. But musically, wow, Brent Jones’ and Frank Thompson’s “Lily’s Eyes” was undoubtedly the best male duet performance I have heard in decades. 

Ali Fredrick and Alie B. Gorrie are the young stars of the show. Gorrie plays the mostly bed-ridden Colin Craven; Fredrick is the lead, Mary Lennox. Both of their vocal performances seemed flawless; during their duet I wondered how they could be so good, so young. Of particular note is that of Fredrick’s role in relation to her age; many many lines delivered and songs sung, with meaning and without noticed error. 

This cast is very talented. Unfortunately, in a review that does not ramble, for a good production, it is not possible to praise every performer worthy of praise. With one short exception, all of the vocals of this near-opera were delivered as well as one would expect or better. There were a couple of issues that did detract from the performance for me. Although the lighting was well designed for this show, it appeared there were some glitches and sometimes the cast did not “find the light” for stationary lighting. In a couple of cases from supporting roles, lyrics are not understandable by someone not already familiar with them. These are close enough however to be corrected by your performance. 

Another bright young star in the cast is Sara James. Whether solo or otherwise, Sara’s character (Martha) and clear chansons were delightful; as one expects from anyone of her talents. The ensemble of ghosts and individual ghost performances were strong and had some interesting choreography. 

If you are a person for musicals, this is one to see. It has more than twenty-five, well-done, enjoyable numbers, and one can tell the score is not an easy one with which to sing. As I recall, several of the numbers begin a capella or go so within, requiring confidence and pitch. This The Secret Garden is a good production, and there are several individual efforts that make it worth the price of admission and your time. It is a story about love, love lost, and about the power of love to heal.