Theater Reviews : Honesty and Charm in This Delightful ‘Garden’ Grow

There’s something in “The Secret Garden” that causes the eyes to water. It’s not an allergy. It’s plain and simple sentiment, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

There’s sentiment galore in Fullerton Civic Light Opera’s staging of the Marsha Norman-Lucy Simon stage version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic, but under Glenn Bradley’s accomplished direction, you hardly notice it tugging at you.

Bradley keeps the action bright and energetic when necessary, the hint of Indian mysticism wafting like incense throughout, and has assembled a top-notch cast that looks as though it is having a whale of a time.

So is musical director-conductor Todd Helm, who hears the fun and the soaring melodies in the score. Mela Hoyt-Heydon’s costumes give the production a snappy and period look.

If anyone doesn’t know the story of the orphan girl foisted onto her dour uncle in his gothic manor house in Yorkshire, he or she has missed part of growing up.

The effect Mary Lennox has on her humpbacked Uncle Archibald, and especially on her beleaguered cousin Colin, sets up a chain of events that makes the valid point that giving up, whether you’re a child or an adult, is nonsense.

The charm of this company, and the across-the-board vocal excellence, gives the production a burnished, period feel that anchors the show’s reality and provides a sense of honesty throughout. Bradley balances performance values well, and the poetic aura of the script is present in all its subtlety.

Candice Oden’s Mary Lennox is a delight, from her unhappy, pouty beginning upon arriving at her uncle’s home to her bubbling optimism while sorting out the various traumas she finds there. Oden also has a crisp, clear musical-comedy-type voice that’s just right for the score. Robert Yacko, as her Uncle Archie, acts the role well, balancing carefully between Archie’s reclusive obsessions and his burgeoning affection for his niece.

There couldn’t be a better Dickon than Jeff Juday. Not only is his buoyant, crystal tenor perfect for his songs as the gardener’s helper who brings Mary around, but Juday manages to create his own aura of country mysticism that works beautifully. Sean Aguinaga nicely manages to make an unprecocious charmer of young Colin, who is not at all the invalid his doctor uncle, Neville, wants him to be.

John Huntington’s evil Neville also is played against stereotype, almost pitiable until his many sins begin to surface. And then there is Victoria Strong as Lily, Uncle Archie’s wife who died giving birth to Colin and who originally planted the secret garden. Strong’s Lily has the beauty, intelligence and grace that make Archie’s lasting devotion logical.

Andrea Chamberlain’s earthy servant Martha and Rob Daniel’s wise gardener Ben Weatherstaff are both full of humor and energy and are examples of the deftly accurate accents that help give this production its authentic tone.

* “The Secret Garden,” Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; July 23, 7 p.m. Ends July 30. $13-$27. (714) 879-1732. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes. Candice Oden: Mary Lennox

Robert Yacko: Archibald Craven

Jeff Juday: Dickon

Victoria Strong: Lily

Sean Aguinaga: Colin Craven

Andrea Chamberlain: Martha

John Huntington: Dr. Neville Craven

Rob Daniel: Ben Weatherstaff

A Fullerton Civic Light Opera production of the Marsha Norman-Lucy Simon musical, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic. Directed and staged by Glenn Bradley. Musical direction/conductor: Todd Helm. Costume design: Mela Hoyt-Heydon. Lighting design: Donna Ruzika. Production stage manager: Donna R. Parsons.