Opening Night Ends With a ‘Garden’ Party

Actor Douglas Sills called it a metaphor for the “place of emotional healing.” Actress Melody Kay called it “a place of enchantment.” No matter what they called it, “The Secret Garden”--which opened at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Tuesday--had its stars gushing at the post-premiere party held at Il Fornaio Cucina Expressa restaurant in Costa Mesa.

The Tony Award-winning musical, inspired by the 19th-Century novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, tells the story of a young girl (played by Kay) who discovers an untended, walled garden on her rich uncle’s estate.

With the help of a friend, she brings the neglected space back to life, turning long-forgotten buds into “fountains of roses.” Consequently, the members of her splintered family are united by the garden’s renaissance.

“The garden is magical,” said Kay, 12, who chose a piece of double-chocolate cake for her post-performance snack. “It’s there to help everyone in the family learn they can be happier than they are.”

Sills, who plays a scheming doctor determined to keep family members unhealthy (he has his eye on inheriting the estate), said the garden’s transformation represents the process we all must experience to heal our pain. “The garden in its state of disrepair is the place in ourselves we don’t want to face,” Sills said. “But the healing is there, waiting. It just seems to be dead.”

Besides the cast, party guests included members of the Center support groups--a new guest-list idea. “We checked out computer to learn which members of our support groups had tickets for opening night and then invited them to the party,” said a Center official.

Guests could choose goblets of white or red wine and a buffet featuring Caesar salad, a variety of pastas and dessert (Italian pastries to die for.)

Among party-goers was Georgia Spooner, founder of the Guilds of the Orange County Performing Arts Center support group. The play reminded her of the time she had spent as a small girl with her mother in the family garden, she said. “Mother had a beautiful rock garden, gorgeous roses. This musical was so beautifully staged it kind of took me back.”

Center President Thomas Kendrick noted that “no one in the audience raced for the door when the curtain came down.”

“And the standing ovations were spontaneous,” Kendrick added. “People couldn’t wait to jump up when Melody took her bow.”

How does Kay, who sported a rose-print tie, do it? “I just tell myself I’m going to concentrate on the play and take it from there,” she said, sounding every bit like a veteran Broadway actress.

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Christmas gala: Tickets--at $250 a crack--for the Center’s gala Christmas Candlelight Concert are on sale. Annually staged at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, this year’s affair will feature entertainment by the Whiffenpoofs, a 14-member chorus of Yale seniors who will perform traditional holiday carols and Broadway tunes. Call (714) 556-2121 for tickets. Soon. This one is always a sellout.

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Planet Hollywood: Rumors are flying that comedian Jay Leno may be the official starter when the Planet Hollywood Star Struck 5K is held on Sept. 19 at South Coast Plaza Village. But no confirmation yet. “We’re almost positive,” says a planner for the benefit for the Orange County Wellness Community. Besides the run, festivities will include a sneak peek at the facility’s new restaurant and bar. A jazz band will perform, and there will be a drawing for Planet Hollywood leather jackets, two tickets to the Planet Hollywood opening in October and a post-race food fair featuring the specialties of local restaurants. For information, call (714) 661-6062.