Discovering a Garden in the Middle School Musical
This year’s Middle School musical evoked feelings of spring and healing in its production of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Based on the classic children’s novel of the same name, a young orphan girl moves to England and uncovers a whole hidden world in her new backyard.
The show opens in India, where young Mary Lennox (Sophia Shao ’30) lives with her parents. After their untimely death from an outbreak of cholera, she leaves to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven (Aras Acemoglu ’30), who is still grieving over the loss of his wife, Lily (Sana Mittal ’30). Once there, she explores the grounds and finds out that her late aunt had a lush garden that is now lost to time.
Through her continuous probing of the estate, she also learns that she has a sickly cousin, Colin (Sean Madan ’30), and the two eventually become friends. With some help from the mansion’s staff, Mary revives the garden, healing both her cousin and uncle through her tenacious attitude, love, and perhaps a little charm.
In a tale about the power of love, friendship, and letting go of the past, the impressive vocal performances and captivating set design transported audiences straight into an English garden.Â
Thank you to director Christa Crewdson and music directors Kathi Gellar and Rylee Allen for their work in creating this production.
