Student Blog: Brynn Bonne - THE SECRET GARDEN Review

It's A Maze-ing! The Secret Garden spreads wonder, "wick" and music on stage in Toronto!

From January 13th-15th 2017, Podium Concert Productions put up a concert version of the 1991 Tony Award winning musical and did not disappoint. From the moment producer Peter da Costa stepped on stage to welcome us to the magical experience that was this production, I was instantly transported into a world of magic and wonder that was brought to life by the cast and crew behind the production.

"The Secret Garden" follows the tale of young Mary Lenox, coming to stay with her Uncle in London after a deadly virus took the lives of her friends and family in her former village In India. We eagerly watch as we see her return to her uncles manor haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, and those looming in their present, as we learn about life and death through the growth of a secret garden.

Although every member of this company did a fabulous job, there were many stellar performances that erupted on stage. From

The sweet and pure voices of the two youngest members of the company, Sarah Caraher (Mary Lenox) and Lucas Kalechstein (Colin Craven), The clean operatic voices of Adam Brazer (Archibald Craven) and Erin Fisher (Lily Craven) and the powerful belts of Gabi Epstein (Martha) and Kyle Golemba (Dickon), the score was celebrated and sung with such passion and cleanliness that you are brought on stage in the moment with the company.

However behind every cast is a creative. Director Steve Ross and Music Director Mark Camilleri, the vision of this concert was gracefully and tastefully executed on that stage that you forgot it didn't have any sets or lights, just raw talent with brilliant directon by these two gentlemen that made every second worth watching.

"The Secret Garden" is a production that is not done very often, but when it is, it is so astonishingly well performed you feel like it must be. Podium Concert Productions took this musical and made it their own and produced an unforgettable performance anyone would be lucky to attend.