By ANNEMARIE CARRIGAN
Reporter
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — I was able to go to “The Secret Garden” musical while it played Oct. 5 -9 in the Highlander Theater. The musical is about a secret garden that a dead mother gave to her husband, Archibald, and her son, Ben. They didn’t know about the garden though, so it was abandoned until the son found a key to it.
There was an orchestra playing in the background to make sound effects during the show. The sound effects sounded so realistic, I was drawn into the musical within seconds. It took place in a time period where women dress in beautiful wedding dresses and old-time maid outfits and the men wear tuxedos.
The story took place in the old times and the actors and actresses talk about the secret garden and how Ben is sick. Ben meets a girl in the garden who helps him get through it. He couldn’t stand in the first act but by the second act the son was able to stand up and he finally got out of the bed at the end of the musical.
The backdrop came in a timely manner right after each scene was over. The cast of “The Secret Garden” was nicely picked from their auditions. They did a great performance and they captured the theme of the musical really well. The songs fit the scenes and helped tell the story throughout the musical. I could tell that the audience loved the play as much as I did because of how much they laughed and clapped throughout the musical. The cast highlighted the theme really well and inspired me to write this review.
“The Secret Garden” is a moving story about a mother who passed away. This musical was amazing with the crew who put on the performance. I expect the behind the scenes crew did the impossible by putting on this fantastic musical. I honestly think the people behind the scene needs some credit too because they did the hard work of putting on the play and getting the word out to all of us.
AnneMarie Carrigan is a THRIVE intern reporting for the Muleskinner. THRIVE is a two-year program to help intellectually- or developmentally-challenged young adults build skills for transitioning from home to independence.