Repertory Philippines has a very special treat for the theater-going public this Christmas season through its latest musical production – The Secret Garden. This is Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s adaptation of the classic English children’s story from the novel penned by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The story revolves around the lives of two abandoned youngsters Mary Lennox and Colin Craven who, through the power of love, begin to transform their spoiled and selfish ways for the better.

secret garden

The Secret Garden’s Message

Originally published in its entirety in 1911, The Secret Garden’s message remain relevant up to this time and Director Anton Juan has this to say. “I wanted to articulate that finding the secret garden was to liberate oneself from the feeling of domination,” he shares. He wanted to make clear that Secret Garden “…is not just a musical about how love forgives, how healing is attained by finding and liberating the truth in us; but also an allegory of liberation of our free spirits.”

It tells the story of a young girl, born and raised in India, who finds herself suddenly orphaned, and goes to live with her uncle in England. She discovers a garden, neglected for years and almost dead, and a young cousin bedridden and miserable. With the help of a housemaid and a friendly young gardener, she brings both the garden and her cousin to life.

Becca Coates playing the role of Martha, the housekeeper_ and Ashlee Factor and Albert Silos portraying the young Mary Lennox and Colin Craven, respective

The Secret Garden of the New Generation

Rep’s version is anticipated to entertain audiences with a magical score and fascinating choreography but it shouldn’t be missed largely because of the amazing young talent set to play the spirited main characters of the story. Playing the mischievous Mary Lennox are 12-year-old Ashlee Factor and 9-year-old Ginger Karganilla. As for the very headstrong Colin Craven, the role will be played by 11-year-old Daniel Drilon, 10-year-old Albert Silos, and 11-year-old Noel Comia. Not to be outshined by their female counterparts, the boys also have an impressive list of titles behind them.

With their extensive experience in theater arts and months of preparing for the role, the cast is set to bring the story of Secret Garden and its characters to life. Young performers take the center stage for this play with the able support of seasoned performers including Becca Coates, Robbie Guevara, Lorenz Martinez, and Myramae Meneses.

Archibald Craven played by Robbie Guevara reaches out to his son Colin_ acted out by Daniel Drilon.

The Challenges in Mounting The Secret Garden

There were a number of challenges met in mounting Repertory Philippines’ The Secret Garden. It is a given that stage productions take months to prepare with numerous songs to rehearse, choreography to be learned, scenes to perfect, a slew of costumes to be made, and elaborate sets to be built. For this particular production however, the artistic staff had to do a lot of research on the context of the story and the details required to translate the setting of 1906 Yorkshire, England for a modern audience.

There was also the added challenge of learning the diction of The Secret Garden’s period and location. The Filipino cast had to learn the British accent which they initially found difficult but got the hang of after two months of practice. Designing the costumes also required extensive research.

Mary Lennox (Ashlee Factor,) stands in the background, as Archibald Craven (Lorenz Martinez,) is recalling memories of his late wife, Lily (Myramae Menese

My Say

Watching a musical production is not exactly very popular among Filipino families especially during the Christmas season. I encourage every family though to make this Christmas season an exception or even to start the good habit of watching quality stage productions that do not only entertain but provide lessons. The Secret Garden is a must-see.

The Secret Garden will be staged from November 20 to December 20, 2015 at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1, Makati City. Ticket prices range from P500 to P1,000. For more details on the play, call Repertory Philippines at 843-3570 and book tickets through TicketWorld at 891-9999 or visit their website at www.ticketworld.com.ph. The show runs simultaneously with Rep’s staging of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.