‘Secret Garden’ blooms at Newbury Park High School
By Heather Milo
Acorn Staff Writer

LISA ADAMS/T.O.A. A ONE-OF-A-KIND MUSICAL PRODUCTION-Mike Fischer (Dickon), left, and Becki Kregoski (Mary) rehearse a scene from the upcoming play "The Secret Garden."

Jeannine Marquie is not afraid of the dark. The Newbury Park High School theatre director and drama teacher’s choice for the spring production, "The Secret Garden," has some decidedly eerie elements, which are different from either the book or the movie, but promises to take the audience on a deeply moving (and in the end promising) journey.

Mary Lennox is a spoiled, bratty orphan girl who lives with her widowed uncle and his invalid son, Dickon. When Mary discovers a secret garden and friends to help her find the key, a score of haunting melodies takes the viewer through a journey into a world filled with endless possibility and enduring faith.

Marquie said that the tone and content in some scenes may be inappropriate for children ages 6 and under. "You have to have the darkness to make the hope at the end more emphatic," she said. According to Marquie, there are a number of different moods throughout the story. "The play is about redemption, forgiveness and hope." Attempts to underscore those moods also take place in the musical score. "The music is striking," she said.

Marquie has always wanted to put on the play, and said she felt that now was the right time. "We had the talent," she said of the students available this year. It’s a difficult musical, sometimes with nine people singing in six-part harmony.

The play marks actor Becki Kregoski’s first year at Newbury Park High School, as she recently moved from the Midwest to begin her sophomore year. She was interested in both the parts of Mary Lennox and Martha, though her young looks fit her most for the part of Mary Lennox. "She’s a lot of fun. She’s very bratty, and that’s always fun to take to the next level," said Kregoski.

Mike Fischer, also a sophomore, plays the young boy, Dickon. Fischer has been in several of NPHS’s shows.

This is his second lead in a musical. Just 17, Fischer also had a lead in a recent production of "West Side Story."

A baritone, he found it challenging to come up to the range of a tenor for Secret Garden. Still, he is very appreciative of the opportunity to perform.

"I’m just happy I get to be in (the show). It’s probably my favorite role I’ve ever played."

Secret Garden takes place first in India, then in Yorkshire, England.

Marquie said that the orchestration of the play is very difficult. "Every song is a segue to the next one, so they don’t stop playing."

Charles Padilla will be the guest conductor. Cordless microphones will be helping project the singing.

Marquie had the actors minimize their accents to just a hint of Yorkshire influence, in order to focus the clarity of the spoken parts. To help the students work on their intonation, Marquie had them write out their scripts phonetically, and also had them observe actors speaking with a Yorkshire clip.

For Fischer, listening to a CD of Secret Garden helped to pick up the inflection. "I talked for whole days that way…but then I got yelled at," he said.

One of Marquie’s goals has been to give Newbury Park High School productions at a caliber like that of on Broadway. Secret Garden will be her last production for awhile, as she is going on hiatus to pursue graduate school.

The book and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon. The play is based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and produced with special arrangement by Samuel French, Inc.

Show times are May 23, 24, 30, 31 at 7:30 p.m. and May 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8-$10, and the box office is open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. one week prior to the performance. The NPHS Performing Arts Center is located at 456 Reino Rd in Newbury Park. For information call (805) 498-3676, ext. 2004.