PREVIEW
The Secret Garden
Opera Nuova
June 26, and 28 to 30
Festival Place
100 Festival Way
Sherwood Park
Tickets: $25 to $45. Call 780-449-3378 or at festivalplace.ab.ca
In the 2019 Opera Nuova season, artistic director Kim Mattice Wanat gives us a magical production of The Secret Garden adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic.
First published in 1911, this popular book about Mary Lennox, a young orphan girl raised in India and sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, on the Yorkshire moors, captured the imagination of generations.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marsha Norman (book and lyrics) and Lucy Simon (music), sister of Carly Simon, adapted the story to stage in 1999 and successfully won three Tony Awards.
“When the two teamed up, it was a beautiful partnership. The music is so well scored. The melodies soar and there’s so much musical texture in the body of the orchestration. It’s quite amazing how touching the music is,” said Mattice Wanat.
Set at the height of the British Empire, Mary’s (Hayley Stacey) parents die of a cholera attack in India and she is sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven (Zainen Suzuki), at Misselthwaite Manor. Mary brings her own ghosts on the journey only to discover more at the manor.
Archibald’s wife Lily (Christina Thanisch-Smith) died in childbirth. Encouraged by his devious physician brother Neville (Justin Kautz), Archibald believes his sickly son Colin (Adam Skogstad), is an invalid and must be confined to his bed and a wheelchair.
Archibald is mired in grief, his brother Neville schemes to obtain his brother’s assets and Colin is angry at being treated as an invalid. The manor offers everything but a warm, welcoming reception until Mary discovers a secret garden that has been neglected since Lily’s death.
The plot deals with themes of loss and friendship. The secret garden becomes a metaphor for the near-destruction and subsequent rejuvenation of a family. It suggests that when something is neglected, it withers and dies. But when nurtured, it thrives and blooms.
As a reflection of the world’s chaotic times, Mattice Wanat expands on Burnett’s initial themes through the Dreamers. Functioning as the traditional Greek chorus, the Dreamers are spirits of ancestors who make their presence known at times of need.
“Our telling is spirits surround us until they feel we are well and then they leave. There’s a sense that after death life goes on and we can find some resolution of losing someone we care about. It looks at what we do when we lose someone special and how we move forward,” Mattice Wanat said.
University of Manitoba soprano Hayley Stacey has been tapped to fill Mary’s role while Adam Skogstad, 14, of St. Albert Children’s Theatre, meshes seamlessly as Colin.
“Adam loves musical theatre and this is an opportunity for him to work for with some high-calibre artists.”
Three additional St. Albert actors performing in the two-act production are Connie Poon (Fakira), Linda Hoddinott (Mrs. Shaw) and Sophia Healey (Claire Holmes).
Mattice Wanat is keeping the set design under wraps, but hints that it is made up of moving parts that bring the garden to life.
“I carry the belief we are surrounded by the energy of those who passed and I hope when people watch this show, they receive a sense of belief and understanding.”
The Secret Garden takes place at Sherwood Park’s Festival Place on June 26, and 28 to 30.
