Secret Garden (Play Review)

This next review is a bit of a change of pace, as you are all at this point used to my movie reviews, but today I saw the Belfast Maskers' performance of Secret Garden in Belfast ME, and I felt moved to write a review of this amazing production (I put it under the movie review section of my blog because it doesn't really fit under the other tabs). I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, being that it is a small town production, but I can say I did not expect to be moved the way that I was. This performance made me laugh, and also cry very hard as it took me through a whole range of emotions. The story of course is a great one, as anyone familiar with the book knows. I was impressed also by the production value of the play, especially for being in a very small and intimate venue. The sets were beautifully done, and I liked how smoothly they were able to change from one set to the next, by just rotating the back drop props, and how they made moving the props and the back grounds into a part of the performance itself. The lighting was also well done, and helped to create the mood of the play. I was also very impressed with the music, as it was not a full orchestra that I am more familiar with at bigger plays, but it is just three people performing the music. Production value, the play looked and sounded beautiful, and also the costumes all looked amazing, and consistent with the time period of the setting of the play. The producers really did a fantastic job putting on this production. What I really wanted to talk about though is the performers themselves. The only performer I was familiar with was Maggie Machaiek, who is an accomplished performer and vocalist. This was the first time I have had the privilege to see her perform though, and I can say this, I would never miss one of her performances again, she was amazing. I knew that she had an amazing voice, but to hear her on stage honestly gave me chills, I don't think I have ever heard a more beautiful singer in my life. She played the character of Rose, which is the main character's mother who died of cholera, and appears as a ghost throughout the play. She plays the character very amazingly, and in some of the scenes I really hate her character because of how judgmental she is, and Maggie played this so perfectly and believably. I honestly think she is one of the best performers that I have ever seen on film or stage, she has this beautiful intensity to her that I found very moving and powerful. Another character who stood out to me was Abby Spott as Martha, the housekeeper, I loved how she played this character, the character is in part this lighthearted silly character, who also at times acts as the voice of reason. I really loved her character, and the life that Abby brought to it, I kept finding the character of Martha to be my favourite character in the play, and always looked forward to seeing her on the stage. The role of Archibald played by Eric Sanders is also a very notable performance. It is his character who late in the play brought myself and the people sitting on both sides of me to tears, I cried more during his sad song about his wife dying and his struggle to figure out how to go on than I think I have at any performance that I have ever heard. The way that he sang and acted the lyrics of that song were so heartfelt and real. His acting through out was very moving, and powerful, he played the character perfectly. He is definitely a performer that I would like to see again, I was just so moved by the emotion and heart that he brought to his performance. The lead role of Lily, played by Sarah Hughes was also very skillfully done. This girl has some of the best facial expressions that I think I have seen in a performer, her demeanor and her body language almost over shadow her vocal performance. This young actress is very skilled and I feel was perfectly cast for the role. The last actor who really stood out to me was Chris Hayes as Dickon. This young actor has such an amazing stage presence and energy, and stole every scene he was in. His performance and singing had this amazing energy to it. Though there were a few times, that I think he could have projected his voice better as it got quiet a few times and was hard to catch a word or two because of it, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is a very strong performer, with so much amazing talent. This young actor is definitely someone to keep an eye on, because if he continues to give performances like this, I could totally see him breaking into television and film. Like I said his energy and performance kind of stole every scene that he was in. I was also very impressed by his smooth use of props, and how perfectly natural he seemed in all of his actions on stage. Definitely one of my favourite performers. The rest of the actors were also amazing, and they were all so perfectly cast in their roles, these were just the ones that stuck out to me the most as I was watching it, and as I am now hours later typing up this review. Well I end my reviews with "would I recommend this..." and as this is a bit different than a movie that you can just watch anytime my answer is a bit more time sensitive. Yes, I would recommend getting out there and catching this play before it is done next weekend. This is honestly one of the most moving plays that I have ever seen and I am really glad that Maggie invited me to come to it, and if you can catch one of the performances I can not recommend it enough If it wasn't for the fact that I am touring during the rest of the run, I would totally go back and watch it again. Please don't take this recommendation lightly, because if you miss out on this, you are missing a very amazing performance, by some very amazingly talented performers. Please check out the Belfast Maskers' website, https://belfastmaskers.com for more information, performance times, and ticket ordering information. I will say that the $15 I spent on a ticket to this performance may just have been the best $15 I have ever had the pleasure to spend, as this is a moving performance that I am not likely to ever forget.