Family Players of North-Eastern New York

Based on the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a favorite of millions all over the world, THE SECRET GARDEN is all about the healing power of love and the miracle of rebirth. Through the lyrical shimmer of Lucy Simon's music, the score creates a world where lost loves are found, lost lives are saved, spring comes again and beauty reigns.

The year is 1911. Young Mary Lennox awakes one morning to discover that her parents, and in fact, everyone she knows in the English compound of Bombay, have died of the cholera, depicted by the red scarves. Having nowhere else to go, she is sent to live with her brooding Uncle Archibald, in his 100-room mansion in Yorkshire.

Accompanying the girl from the train station, Mrs. Medlock, her uncle's housekeeper, tells Mary she should not expect ever to see her uncle, that he is still mourning the death of his beautiful wife, Lily, the sister of Mary's mother. Further, she tells Mary she will have no one to play with, and she will not be allowed to wander the halls. In short, Mary will find her life here to be as gloomy and miserable as the house itself.

Mary receives this news with stony silence. But she is willful and determined, qualities which will change not only her life, but that of everyone in the house before she is finished. With the help of the spirits who are watching over her Mary will upset every one of Mrs. Medlock's expectations.

On her first evening at Misselthwaite, Mary hears an eerie wailing, but sees only the shadows of her uncle as he wanders the halls hearing what he thinks is the ghost of his dear dead wife.

The next morning Mary meets the irrepressible maid, Martha, who hints that there might be something interesting to do outside. Mary is not convinced but anything is better than staying in. Proving this point, on her way out she encounters her Uncle Archibald, who seems completely lost, singing and dancing with Lily's ghost, in an empty ballroom.

Once she begins to spend her days outside, however, Mary's sourness gradually diminishes. She learns from the cantankerous head gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, of a mysterious walled garden that has been kept locked since Lily's death. And she meets Martha's younger brother Dickon, a young forest wixard who calls forth the spring with a rock anthem. Then, accompanied by the panpipe and dulcimer, Dickon teaches Mary to speak to the chirping robin in Yorkshire, and the bird, in turn, shows Mary where to find the key to the garden.

Unable to find the door to Lily's garden, Mary decides she will plant the seeds Dickon gave her, and goes to her uncle to ask if she might have a bit of earth. That simple request triggers powerful memories for Archibald, and as the storm rages outside, Archibald sinks further into the past. Archibald and his brother, Dr. Neville Craven, sing of how Mary reminds them of Lily, and Neville reveals that he was also in love with his brother's wife.

Later, still disturbed by the persistent wailing at night, Mary enters the forbidden west wing, where she discovers her cousin Colin, a sickly but imperious boy who is confined to his bed and only visited by his father when he is asleep. Their budding friendship is interrupted by Dr. Craven and Mrs. Medlock, and Mary is banished from Colin's room. At the height of the storm, Mary rushed out of the house, suddenly reliving the cholera epidemic, and feeling more lost than ever. But as ACT I ends, the watchful spirits lead her through this nightmare, bringing her finally to the ivy-cloaked door of The Secret Garden.

ACT II begins as Mary dreams of the perfection the garden promises. Everyone she has known and loved is alive and well, and all are gathered in the garden to celebrate her birthday.

However, perfection is not to be. Inside the house, Dr. Craven discovers Archibald packing to leave for Paris, and accuses him if shirking his responsibilities. He insists that Mary is disturbing Colin, and must be sent away to school. The brothers quarrel, triggering the appearance of Lily and Mary's mother, Rose. Nevertheless, Archibald will not be deterred. He says good-bye to the sleeping Colin and leaves.

On the next clear morning, Mary tells Dickon that she has found Lily's garden, but it is dead. It is the most "forgotten place" she has ever seen. Dickon tells her that the garden is "wick," the Yorkshire word for "alive," and encourages her to take a closer look. Together, they resolve they will bring the garden back to life.

Not long after that, Mary tells Colin she has found his mother's garden, and wants him to see it. When he confesses he is afraid to go outside, Lily's spirit comes to help him. Colin and Mary visit the garden together for the first time at night. Through its magical power, her faith in him and a Hindu chant she learned from her Fakir and Ayah in India, Colin overcomes his fear and stands.

Then, passionately needing to remain at Misselthwaite to see the garden bloom and Colin regain his strength, Mary refused to go to the boarding school Dr. Craven has found for her. Martha encourages her to "hold on" and helps Mary write a letter to her uncle in Paris, asking him to come home.

Mary's letter finds Archibald in a very dark moment. The ghost of Lily appears to comfort him, to ask his forgiveness and lead him back home. There, amid the startling blooms and splendid fragrances of the no longer secret garden, Colin walks into his father's arms and proclaims he is well.

In the final scene, Uncle Archibald welcomes Mary as his own child and assures her that Misselthwaite is her home now. Then, to thank her for restoring their health and happiness, he gives her the beautiful garden for her own. Then, as the living family comes together, the ghosts, no longer needed, depart one by one.