Visit ‘The Secret Garden’ in Lancaster this week

Hauntingly beautiful musical, great story, appealing to the whole family, professional-quality production. That’s how director Eric Grace describes the musical, “The Secret Garden,” now playing at Bundy Auditorium on the campus of the University of South Carolina Lancaster.
The Community Playhouse of Lancaster County production first came to Lancaster under Grace’s direction in 2006, and returned this year when details couldn’t be finalized on “Beauty and the Beast.”
“The Secret Garden” is based on the 1919 children’s classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The story begins in Bombay, India, in 1911. Young Mary Lennox (played by Chelsea Johnson of Lancaster) wakes one morning to discover her parents, her Indian nurse Ayah (Sydney Gowitzka of Indian Land) and everyone she knows in the English compound has died of cholera. She is sent to live in England with her Uncle Archibald Craven (Wayne Carter of Indian Land).
There, Mary finds that her uncle still mourns the death of his wife, Lily (Morgan Overcash of Lancaster), Mary’s aunt. She learns from the gardener, Ben Weatherstaff (Mitch Norrell of Lancaster), of a mysterious walled garden that has been locked since Lily’s death.
She meets Dickon (David Johnson of Lancaster) who teaches Mary to speak to the robin, which shows her where to find the key to the garden. The plot develops as Mary meets her cousin, Colin (Grayson Peavy of Lancaster), a sickly boy confined to his bed. Visits from “Dreamers” (ghosts of family members and friends) help explain the story or impart hope to the main characters.
It is a tale of a child dealing with death, loss and grief, but shows how determination and encouragement can transform lives and bring peace.
Director: Playhouse productions a family bargain
Although the Community Playhouse has been here for 30 years, its productions are still overlooked by many. Like other nonprofit groups, it operates on a shoestring budget, depending on community support with minimal publicity.
Grace said CPLC is committed to bringing quality theater productions to Lancaster and making them affordable. Ticket prices have been reduced so more people could enjoy performances. 
“[You] can bring a family…for less than they can go to the movies,” Grace said. “I would encourage everybody… to give [us] a chance. I think [everyone] will be pleasantly surprised with the quality of work right here in their backyard.”
He believes that few understand the work and commitment involved in a local theater production.
“Unlike professionals, they’re not doing it for pay and typically aren’t doing it for accolades,” Grace said.
Some cast and crew members are high school and college students, but most are adults with full-time jobs, family commitments and other obligations, he said.
“They’ve committed many weeks and hours of rehearsals, not to mention the personal expense of gas to and from, and often fast food meals because time is scarce, to participate,” Grace said. “The only pay they receive is the applause at the end…and the knowledge they’ve of-fered their local community an opportunity to experience live theater.”
Backstage work requires the same kind of time and commitment as the cast. Grace said the crew spent more than 500 hours building and painting the show’s set, plus two days to assemble it.
One of Grace’s unsung heroes is his father, Darrell Grace, of Indian Land.
“[He] has helped build sets for almost every production I’ve been a part of and never received pay or accolades other than his name in the program. He didn’t grow up around live theater, but he does it for me and for all those others that love local theater,” Grace said.
Another of Grace’s personal heroine is his mom, Joy Pettit, also an Indian Land native, who’s playing keyboards. She’s been involved in community theater on and off-stage for years, he said.
The personal commitment of cast and crew sometimes goes far beyond time and expense, he said.
Wayne Carter is an example of “that extra mile,” he said. “Just [last] Wednesday evening, he was in the emergency room until 5 a.m. [Thursday] and still insisted on being at final dress [that night].”
In spite of his emergency, Grace said Carter delivered a flawless performance. 
Grace said “The Secret Garden” is challenging, and most community groups wouldn’t try it, but CPLC can, because of the amazing talent in Lancaster County. including Stephanie Spruill of Indian Land, who directs the show’s music.
“It has twice the music of most musicals. The style is more operatic and uses English accents and dialects, making it more difficult to sing,” he said.
The show was written by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon (Carly Simon’s sister), and originally produced by the Virginia Stage Company. It was produced on Broadway by Heidi Landesman, Rick Steiner, Frederic H. Mayerson, Elizabeth Williams, Juja-m-cyn Theaters/TV ASAHI and Dodger Productions. It was also made into a movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in 1993.

Want to go?

“The Secret Garden,” a musical presented by the Community Playhouse of Lancaster County, will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 2-4, at Bundy Auditorium in the Bradley Building at the University of South Carolina Lancaster, 476 Hubbard Drive. Thursday’s performance will be a special “pay-what-you-can” mid-performance rehearsal.
Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for students/seniors and $5 for children under 10. Advance tickets are available at the Lancaster County Council of the Arts, 201 W. Gay St., Lancaster. Tickets will also be available at the door.
For details, visit the Playhouse website, www.lancasterplayhouse.com.