Eastman School of Music singers will share the stage with four talented young performers from the community in The Secret Garden, an Eastman Opera Theatre production that opens Thursday, Nov. 5, for four performances.
Based on the popular novel of the same name, the musical features four singing actors alternating in the pivotal roles of a willful orphan and her sickly cousin who repair their own lives as they revive a garden on their English estate.
“The Secret Garden is a wonderful story that is all about the transformative power of nature,” said Johnathon Pape, Eastman Opera Theatre faculty member and the dramatic director for the production. “The book has connected with audiences since it was first published almost a century ago. Its themes of the healing power of love and the miracle of rebirth are universal, timeless, and uplifting.”
The musical stage version of the book, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon, ran for more than 700 performances on Broadway and won three Tony Awards.
The Secret Garden revolves around Mary Lennox, an English girl living in India in 1911 who is sent to live with her widowed uncle in England after her parents die. She makes friends with a young maid and the maid’s brother and meets her young cousin, Colin Craven, who is confined to his bed. Her determination to bring a neglected garden back to life has a healing effect on her relatives and brings the family together.
Alternating in the role of Mary Lennox are Rebecca Rand and Mina Konuksever, while Paul Fasy and Timothy Hight will take turns as Colin Craven. The four were chosen by audition last spring.
Eastman School students who will portray the adult roles in the musical include sopranos Savanna Sokolnicki and Stephania Romaniuk as the ghost of Lily, Colin’s mother; tenors Tom Leighton and Trevor Strader as the uncle, Archibald Craven; mezzo-sopranos Sarah Franz and Kendra Wieneke as Martha, the maid; tenors Brian Giebler and Aaron Sperber as Martha’s brother Dickon; and baritones Samuel Krall and Jordan Wilson as Dr. Craven, Colin’s uncle and physician.
To establish the different locales that the musical requires — ranging from India to Yorkshire, with both indoor and outdoor settings — Eastman Opera Theatre’s production will use a variety of innovative projections to create the background scenery. The design team includes Dan Roach, projections; Kris Stengrevicks, scenic elements and properties; and Nic Minetor, lighting design.
Music director and guest conductor for The Secret Garden is Stephen Sulich, who has conducted productions for more than 20 companies in the United States including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and The New York City Opera.
The Secret Garden will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, 6, and 7, and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8, in the Eastman School’s Kilbourn Hall.Tickets are $10 to $20 (discount with UR ID and student ID) and are available at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts.
There will be lectures one hour prior to the opera performances in Room 120 of the Eastman School’s Main Building.
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Calendar Listings:
Thursday, Nov. 5
7:30 p.m.
Eastman Opera Theatre: The Secret Garden
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
Tickets: $10 to $20 (discount with UR ID and student ID), available at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts
Introductory lecture one hour prior to the performance in Room 120 of the Eastman School Main Building, 26 Gibbs St.
Friday, Nov. 6
7:30 p.m.
Eastman Opera Theatre: The Secret Garden
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
Tickets: $10 to $20 (discount with UR ID and student ID), available at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts
Introductory lecture one hour prior to the performance in Room 120 of the Eastman School Main Building, 26 Gibbs St.
Saturday, Nov. 7
7:30 p.m.
Eastman Opera Theatre: The Secret Garden
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
Tickets: $10 to $20 (discount with UR ID and student ID), available at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts
Introductory lecture one hour prior to the performance in Room 120 of the Eastman School Main Building, 26 Gibbs St.
Sunday, Nov. 8
2 p.m.
Eastman Opera Theatre: The Secret Garden
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
Tickets: $10 to $20 (discount with UR ID and student ID), available at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts
Introductory lecture one hour prior to the performance in Room 120 of the Eastman School Main Building, 26 Gibbs St.