PAYSON — With an absolutely stunning score by Lucy Simon and themes of love, loss, and rebirth being brought to life through brilliant lyrics and book by Marsha Norman, the Secret Garden is a beautiful piece of theatre. Adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved children’s novel of the same name, The Secret Garden premiered on Broadway in 1991 and has been regarded as a classic ever since. Filled with lights, flowers, and family, Payson Community Theatre has created a beautiful production of this piece.
The show begins with Lily, played by the ethereal Cecily Ellis-Bills, singing about her garden in “Clusters of Crocus.” Ellis-Bills’ crystalline soprano notes floated effortlessly in each of her songs. The Secret Garden contains very challenging music, and Bills executed every moment flawlessly. Some of my favorite moments include “Come to my Garden” and “How Could I Ever Know.” Though Lily is a ghost during the events of the story, her presence drives the plot. She found a lovely duality between a loving motherly figure and a haunting presence that is unable to rest. Lily’s husband, Archibald Craven (played by Daniel Mason), carried the weight of grief and you could see the effect Lily’s lingering presence had on him. Mason brought a soft sweetness to Archibald’s cold exterior. This sweetness came out in his numbers “Race You To the Top of the Morning” and “Lily’s Eyes”, this was juxtaposed with moments of power he also brought to both numbers. An additional sweetness was seen in the interactions between Lily and her son Collin (played by Wyatt Bills), the pair are mother and son in real life and listening to their clear voices mingling in their duet “Come To My Garden/Lift Me Up” was deeply moving. Bills is a remarkable vocalist for such a young performer and he handled the complex music incredibly well.
The Secret Garden Plays through September 3 in Payson. | Photo Credit: Payson Community Theatre.
Speaking of talented young performers, Emery Pinegar as Mary was an absolute delight. There are two young performers who play Mary on alternating nights, and I saw Pinegar in the “Crocus” cast. Through the events of the show, Mary goes from a spoiled young girl to a loving member of a found family, and Pinegar showed this growth beautifully. Her dialect and singing voice were impressive, and she commanded the stage incredibly well for someone so young. Her relationships with the other characters on stage brought so much heart to the performance. My favorite relationships Mary developed were with siblings Martha and Dickon (played by Talia Rowberry and Benjamin Ewell respectively). Rowberry as Martha brought much needed warmth and humor in her interactions with Mary, with some lovely comedic moments in “Fine White Horse” and “Come Spirit Come Charm.” Later in the show, she showed grounded strength and wonderful vocals in “Hold On.” Ewell as Dickon brought a lovely sense of whimsy and a big brother type of guidance in his interactions with Mary. Ewell presented a character who had a deep understanding and love for the world and people around him. This charming character was added to with stunning vocals in “Winter’s On the Wing” and “Wick”
This production had a large cast, a wonderful opportunity that Payson gives to performers in their community. Director Kris Holley, did a wonderful job at utilizing this large group and keeping the show moving. The ensemble largely played spirits that, like Lily, were unable to move on. Some standouts include Nathan Hessing and Lydia Evans as Mary’s Father and Mother. At times, the split between the past and present and the spirits and living was a little confusing. Most of the spirits were in white, but some were not, and I feel that bringing more consistency to this could have helped eliminate this confusion. Speaking of costumes however, the costume design by Miranda Mobbs was lovely, especially considering the challenge of costuming such a large cast in a period piece. One of the spirits was of Ayah, Mary’s nurse when growing up in India. Ayah was played beautifully by Emma Black, however, I think it is unfortunate that this character who is such a strong representation of Indian culture was not played by an individual from that culture. Another challenge from the ensemble was that, even though individually each of them had a lovely voice, there seemed to be difficulties with blending and timing in group numbers, which did not suit the classical sound of this music. However, this might be attributed to microphone issues, as there were some unfortunate drop outs, and feedback whenever a voice got too loud or high pitched.
Despite these small challenges, the community theatre has crafted a truly beautiful production. Incredibly talented performers join with this stunning material to present this moving story of family and rebirth. Don’t let this beautiful production remain a secret, make sure to bring your family to enjoy a night of Secret Garden at Payson Community Theatre.
