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Arts & Entertainment

Milton Players Capture the Mood of 'The Secret Garden'

The Milton Players are rounding out the 2011 season with the musical, "The Secret Garden."

The Milton Players opened last weekend with the magical musical The Secret Garden. The stakes were high as the characters discovered the natural healing powers of a secret garden, and overcame challenges as they found ways to heal their bodies as well as their souls.

The Secret Garden is a musical adaptation of the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It follows the story of Mary Lennox played by Gabrielle La Flamme, who wakes up one morning in India to discover that her parents are dead.

She travels to Yorkshire, where her uncle Archibald Craven, played by David Michael Daly, keeps her as his ward in his depressing, overcast house. She meets the residents of the house- Dr. Neville Craven (Athan Mantalos), her uncle’s brother and family physician; Ben Weatherstaff (Dan Moore) the groundskeeper; Martha (Kelly Horan) the house maid; Dickon (Mark Estanon) Martha’s brother; and Colin Craven (Nora Cahill) Archibald’s sickly son.

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Mary learns of a secret garden that her aunt Lily (Claire Lukaczyn) used to tend, and makes it her mission to discover and then restore the garden. In the process, she heals the hearts and souls of the members of the house, as well as her own grief over her parents’ deaths.

The acting from the Milton Players was very believable. The actors and actresses stayed true to their character, and even brought little unique characteristics and quirks.

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While the show itself is not humorous, there were tiny moments of comedy, and those were lighthearted and fun. The overall emotion of the musical is mournful, especially in the beginning, and the actors brought out that somber ambiance.

Then, slowly, as Mary discovers the garden and begins the healing process, the show becomes more optimistic and uplifting, except for those dramatic moments when the stakes are raised (mostly concerning Dr. Neville Craven’s scheme to send Mary away, thus preventing the curing of Colin).

The first thing one notices of the set is the gorgeous painted background of a seascape, which really sets the mood for the entire show. It brings you back to the Gothic, mythical time of the very early 20th century.

The set pieces are few, save for the bedroom of Mary, and occasional set pieces are brought in, like some chairs, benches, tables and the Garden wall.

But the most impressive design was the paintings. During the opening number, gold picture frames were elevated down, and the ensemble stood behind them, with their face in the center of the frames to mimic portraits. This was very eerie and powerful to watch.

Overall, the set design did a good job with less is more, allowing only a few key set pieces determine the setting. The Milton Players always design their own sets, and they did a very good job especially with the frames, the painted background, and the garden wall.

The best performances came from many of the actors, especially the leads. Gabrielle La Flamme was perfect as the deadpan, sorrowful Mary. She portrayed the character very well, especially the progression from gloomy and mean to cheerful and spirited.

Athan Mantalos portrayed the semi-villainous very well too. You can feel his conflict as he deals with using up all of his time to devote to Colin’s health.

David Michael Daly was excellent as the tormented Archibald Craven, who carries his grief around with him everywhere he goes.

The other two stellar performances were from Kelly Horan, as the energetic Martha, and Mark Estano as Dickon.

The singing is an important part of any musical, and in this production, the vocals were very good, as were the harmonies. The musical contains a lot of duets, and the combinations of Mary with Dickon, Archibald with Dr. Neville or Lily stood out as the best.

Overall, the production perfectly captured the emotions and atmosphere of the movie and book. If you want to watch spiritual hope and healing triumph over sadness and despair, then The Secret Garden is perfect for you.

The next performances will be Friday and Saturday evening, April 15 and 16 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 17th. Every show is held at the .

Tickets prices for the evening performances are $20, and the matinee is $15. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.miltonplayers.org or call 1-617-698-SHOW (7469).

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