‘Secret Garden’ remains appealing, despite glitches

“The Secret Garden” carries you through a girl’s journey of losing her parents and saving her reclusive uncle. The classic plot of a damsel in distress is twisted to have a little girl be the hero.

The cast and crew of Charlotte Latin School’s production of this musical did their jobs well. The opening scene with The Dreamers, spirits dressed in white and using red scarves to symbolize death, conveys the feelings of loss coursing through 10-year-old Mary Lennox. Ann Chandler Tune played her well, though moments were overdone. (Costuming helped set the time period and age of each character.)

Then her uncle Archibald (Michael Julliard) takes Mary into his home. Julliard’s characterization of a crippled, old, lonely man was spot on. The make-up for Julliard and Coleman Campbell, who played Archibald’s sickly son, enhanced their performances. Archibald had deep-set eyes that made him look like he’d had multiple sleepless nights. Colin had the pastiness and sunkenness he needed.

Other characters that stood out included Mary’s maid, Martha, and Dickon, an optimistic gardener. Jessie Ary almost stole the show with comic relief as the vibrant young maid who helps Mary through her struggles. Ethan Holtzman added life as the young man who tends the garden of the title.

There were multiple elaborate, well-done sets. One was slightly odd – it looked as if someone had brushed gold paint over brown to create some sort of wood or marble – but any scene in the garden was covered in flowers and gave you a sense of life in bloom.

The lighting was not quite right. A few times, a spotlight did not fully light an actor’s head, and one spot was much brighter than the other. The fog machine worked in some scenes but distracted the audience in others (especially a song between Archibald and his late wife, Lily). Sound was also a problem: The actors’ voices were beautiful, so the microphones did not need to be turned up as high as they were.

Yet the plot is touching and makes you want to go home and tell your family you love them. The production had a good quality overall, minus a few technical issues.

This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 11:13 AM with the headline "‘Secret Garden’ remains appealing, despite glitches."