Rosebud Theatre opened their feel good Christmas inspired show on Friday evening, as the musical production of The Secret Garden forced the sold-out crowd’s spirits to laugh and fly with the uplifting classic.
“One of the things we look for at Christmas time is getting together, we want to believe that family is significant, that it actually matters,” says artistic director Morris Ertman.
Christmas can be just a sad a time as it is hopeful and alive– news stories appear about those spending the holiday drinking soup alone in a shelter.
And that’s the way the story begins. A young Mary Lennox (Cassia Schramm) is orphaned and sent to live with relatives, led by hunchback uncle Archibald Craven (David Snider), in dreary England, despising her descent from riches to rags. But she finds hope in cultivating a hidden garden which has grown wild and unkempt since the passing of her unknown aunt who died while giving birth to her cousin, a bed-stuck germaphobe.
A hilarious Ben Weatherstaff, played by Nathan Schmidt, pushes her to garden which ultimately brings the entire Craven family together.
In what should be the darkest time of year, Christmas becomes one of the most illuminating and warm seasons.
“It’s a time of year when we eat in excess, a time of year where nothing grows, and we decorate our houses like it were spring,” says Ertman.
“The Secret Garden gives us an uplifting feeling that people are looking for at Christmas time.”
As always with Rosebud, the acting is top-notch, and the production, while kept simple, is quite convincing.
Each character on stage was utterly unique and sung beautifully alongside the onstage piano and flute players– culminating into a story which initially appears to have no ties to the holiday season, into a story which forces you to appreciate family which is often taken for granted.
“That’s the one thing we do at Rosebud. Other theatres make it a tradition to always do A Christmas Carol every Christmas,” says Ertman.
“Every year at Rosebud we tackle something different and tie it in to create something new.”
The Secret Garden plays until December 23. For more information and to find tickets, visit www.rosebudtheatre.com