PULLMAN, Wash. — Tickets go on sale April 9 for the Washington State University production of “The Secret Garden,” due on Daggy Hall’s R.R. Jones Theatre stage at 8 p.m. April 12-14 and 19-21.
According to the show’s director, Julie Anne Wieck, the musical has a strong cast of singers and actors. But there are several challenges for the cast and crew.
“Due to the fast-paced nature of the show, everything needs to be mobile on the set so transitions can be made seamlessly from one scene to the next,” Wieck said.
Another production challenge is to be sure the audience can differentiate between living characters and those who are dreamers or ghosts from the past.
“This will be done through costuming and special lighting,” the director added. Dreamers come from India to England with Mary Lennox to ensure her care is taken up by those living in her new home.
The play begins in 1911, and Mary awakes one morning in India to discover that her parents and everyone she knows in the English compound in Bombay have died of cholera. Having nowhere else to go, she is sent to live with her brooding Uncle Archibald in his 100-room mansion, Misselthwaite Manor, in Yorkshire.
Holly Robinette plays Mary. Other cast principals include Beth Delaney as Lily, Justin Smith as Dr. Neville Craven, Brianna Kramer as Martha, Ryan Childers as Archibald and Quinn Roberts as Dickon.
George Caldwell designed the set for the production. Lauren Quock is accompanist, while Keating Johnson serves as orchestra conductor. Teresa Wolf-Spencer is costume designer, and Phyllis Gooden-Young is in charge of choreography.
Wieck said the music is a refreshing change from the dark and dramatic musicals on stage in the early 1990s. “The show will lift your spirit and welcome the season of spring,” she said.
Ticket information and reservations are available the week of the production by calling the theater box office, 509/335-7236.
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