It was more than a century ago that Frances Hodgson Burnett penned “The Secret Garden,” a book that continues to captivate today.
And almost three decades ago, Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon took the story and made a musical out of it.
Coming up: Arts Express stages that musical, with Nancy Davis Booth directing.
The story is full of mystery, heartbreak and hope.
And surely you remember that story: Mary is a 10-year-old who longs for the love she doesn’t get. When her parents die, she moves from India to England to settle with a wealthy widowed uncle, Archibald Craven.He lives in an isolated manor, which can spooky all by itself.
She’s a brat, complains, and is spoiled. But when a maid tells her about a secret garden the late Mrs. Craven use to tend and that has been locked since her death, things begin to look up for her and her attitude.
She is determined to find the garden and unlock the gate. Eventually she discovers a young boy her age sequestered away in the house and confined to a wheelchair. Things begin to change for him, too.
The Arts Express production, which will have a 14-piece orchestra, has a cast that includes Michael Chaffin, Kimberly Chaffin, Christopher Will, Anna Howe and Josiah Chaffin.
Performances are 7 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through March 31 at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Tickets are $20, with discounts available.
For more information, go to arts-express.org or call 319-0400.
