0
0
Growing up, my favorite author was Frances Hogsden Burnett. I must have read The Secret Garden and A Little Princess at least a hundred times each. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that there was a Broadway musical based on The Secret Garden.
I’ve been a fan of this show for almost ten years now. But the first time I listened to the cast recording, I wasn’t crazy about it—mostly because the writers took a number of liberties with the plot. However, the show eventually won me over with its gorgeous score and outstanding performances.
The Secret Garden takes the familiar story about a girl named Mary Lennox, her hunchbacked uncle Archibald Craven, and a garden and sets it to music. The biggest difference from the book is the introduction of the “ghosts.” In this version, a number of spirits, including Archibald’s wife, Lily, and Mary’s mother, haunt the hallways of the Craven household. Each of the characters struggle with the memories of the past until they realize that the ghosts only exist when someone alive is still holding onto them and refusing to move on. Despite my initial resistance to this particular subplot, the ghosts do add a beautiful touch of spirituality to the story. And their interaction with the live characters—especially the scenes between Archibald and Lily—never fail to send chills down my spine.
This CD has a number of outstanding performances. Most notably is Daisy Egan as Mary—with her crystal-clear voice and superb acting, which is noticeable in the few spoken scenes included on the CD, it’s no wonder that she made history as the youngest Tony winner ever. The other two strongest performances come from Mandy Patinkin (whom I usually don’t like, but he’s amazing in this show) as Archibald Craven and Rebecca Luker as Lily. Luker’s clear, ethereal soprano voice is absolutely perfect for her ghostly character.
The performances would be less impressive, however, if the music was sub-par. However, the score is the best thing about this CD. Haunting melodies and outstanding orchestrations make this a CD I can listen to over and over again. Particularly memorable songs include “Winter’s on the Wing,” “Wick,” “Race You to the Top of the Morning,” “Hold On,” “How Could I Ever Know?” and the outstanding male duet “Lily’s Eyes.”
Gorgeous music and strong performances make The Secret Garden a must-have for anyone’s Broadway collection. I definitely recommend giving this one a listen.
