Because Utah is so flush with theatre and theatre companies there are some really wonderful organizations that don’t get the praise they deserve. Payson Community Theatre is one such organization. I have reviewed their shows multiple times and have yet to leave disappointed. Their current production of The Secret Garden is no exception and anyone in the area should take advantage of the opportunity to see this moving show.

The Secret Garden is of course based on the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett and features music by Lucy Simon and lyrics and book by Marsha Norman. The musical tells the story of young orphan Mary Lennox who is sent to live with her mysterious uncle Archibald. She begins as a spoiled child but as she comes to know the trauma of the Craven house she becomes more empathetic (while still stubborn) and the entire family is able to grieve when she revives the secret garden of the title.

What makes this musical work is the transformation of the characters accompanied by the beautiful music. It all starts with the foundation of a dynamic and talented Mary and that’s what they have at PTC. The cast I saw is the Iris Cast and features Izzy Deschamps as Mary and she didn’t miss a beat the entire performance. I especially loved her when she throws a fit at the school superintendent. With the belligerent moments, however, she also has sweet ones with Wyatt Bills as Colin and Daniel Mason as Archibald. In addition to a strong Mary I loved Cecily Ellis-Bills as Lilly (she has a gorgeous soprano voice) and Talia Rowberry as Martha who nails the Yorkshire accent and delivers one of the more underrated songs of the show “Hold On” with power and conviction.

The cast is large at PTC and director Kris Holley does an excellent job keeping things moving. As lovely as it is sometimes The Secret Garden can drag and this production has energy and movement to it that kept me engaged. This was aided by the panel background sets by Perry Ewell that flowed and made it easy to move from scene to scene. The final reveal of the garden also really paid off and was appropriately magical. The period appropriate costumes by Miranda Mobbs are extremely impressive especially for such a large cast to dress. They do chose to give Archibald a barely-noticeable hunchback but I didn’t mind that choice given he is still a social and active person not limited in his travels and activities by a disability.

The major frustration with the evening was some recurring microphone issues particularly with Ewell as Neville. I’m sure as they continue their performances they will work on fine tuning the microphones and it will improve. I’m not sure if it was these sound issues but the powerful duet “Lily’s Eyes” between Neville and Archibald could have more of a connection between the two actors. Even though they are in different areas of the stage they are singing the song to each other and that could be more clear.

In the end, The Secret Garden is a story about family and how we can help each other heal from the wounds of grief and loss. The talented cast and crew at PTC capture this message beautifully making for a moving night of community theatre. It is playing at Payson High School through September 2nd and you can get tickets here.

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