Huron Expositor, 2004-06-09, Page 88 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR. June E. 2004
News
Secret
Garden
at Huron
Country
Playhouse
is
blooming
success
By Jason Middleton
Expositor Staff
The secret is out and the
Huron Country Playhouse's
presentation of the Secret
Garden is a blooming success.
Those in attendance of the
opening night performance in'
Grand Bend, last Saturday,
saw some powerful
performances from all 21 cast
members including two
young Seaforth actors,
Thomas and Carolyn Murray,
who flourished in their roles
as Colin Craven and Mary
Lennox.
Based on the children's
literary classic by Frances
Hodgson Burnett the play tells
the story of a young girl
named Mary who is sent to
live with her reclusive Uncle
Archibald after her parents
who were living in India died
of cholera.
Mary finds there is no one
to play with until she
discovers that her young
sickly cousin Colin lives in
the mansion.
Both Thomas and Carolyn
give outstanding
performances as two stubborn •
young children looking for
happiness.
Carolyn reveals the promise
of her true acting potential in
the play. She carries the
audience along her journey of
sadness, hope and renewal.
She manages to realistically
bring her character from a
Carolyn and Thomas Murray
cheerful girl to someone who
recently lost her parents and
still longs for them.
While exploring the outside
of the mansion Mary
discovers many secrets
including a secret garden that
belonged to her late aunt.
Children attending the
performance might get lost
during some of the more
grown up scenes, but will be
enchanted with Mary's
discovery of the garden and
the relationship she forms
with her cousin Colin.
While managing to
entertain the crowd Thomas
also can almost bring a tear to
your eye as the young
wheelchair bound Colin.
The actors are accompanied
by a 13 -piece orchestra which
never misses a beat and helps
give this show a much
deserved Broadway feel.
Director and choreographer
Di Nyland Proctor does a
wonderful job of orchestrating
dance moves that help make
this production flow on stage.
Both, Duncan Stewart, who
plays a young garden helper,
and Marlene Handrahan, who
plays the maid, give energetic
performances that keep the
audience waiting for their next
scene.
There is an amazing
chemistry formed between
Stewart, Handrahan and
Carolyn in their scenes
together.
Carolyn is present in almost
every scene and gives an
equal performances to tt;e
other actors while singing,
dancing and acting.
The play is definitely a
must see if you are a fan of
local talent.
These two young stars
definitely shine in this play
which runs until June 26.
Carolyn and Thomas Murray
having great time acting
in Secret Garden performance
By Jason Middleton
Expositor Staff
Two local students are
having a great time acting
and singing
in a play
where their
characters
are grumpy
for half of
t h e
performance.
Sister and
brother,
Carolyn
Murray, 12,
and Thomas,
Murray, 10,
of Seaforth,
are acting in
the Huron
Country Playhouse's
rendition of the children's
literary classic the Secret
Garden.
"They are working so
hard and they always come
in with a smile on their
face. At the end of the day
when the rest of us are beat
these kids are upbeat and
they lift us up a little bit,"
said stage director Suzanne
Williams.
For the past two weeks,
the Murrays along with 19
other actors have been
practising for eight hours a
day, Monday to Saturday.
Thomas insists that he's not
tired by the end of the day.
"I'm always pumped by
the end because when I'm
there everything is so fun
and everyone's upbeat,"
said Thomas.
The Secret Garden runs feelings change when she
from June 2 to 26 and finds a mysterious secret
opening night is not until garden hidden on the
June 5 but the cast will be Archibald's estate.
doing two weeks of student The near two-hour play
matinees. requires the Murrays to
The first sing, act and dance.
matinee Last year Carolyn and
performance Thomas worked with their
will be in older sister Janelle in the
front of Drayton Festival Theatre's
students from production of Annie Get
the Murray's Your Gun, Grand Bend's
school, St. Carousel and Drayton's
Columban. Joseph and the Technicolour
Thomas Dreamcoat.
said he Thomas said that he
doesn't miss would like to make a career
school and out of acting.
Carolyn Murray
insists that, "I want to be an actor and
"I'm learning if I don't make the part I
more here." want to be a carpenter and
The Secret Garden is the make all the sets," said
story of a Thomas.
grief-stricken On top of
man named acting,
Archibald Thomas
who yearns plays piano
for his late and guitar,
wife and hockey and
becomes soccer.
isolated from Carolyn also
his crippled, plays piano,
son Colin, takes
played by singing
Thomas, as a lessons,
result. dances,
When Thomas Murray P l a y s
Archibald's hockey and
young niece soccer.
Mary, played by Carolyn, "They're great kids. It's
comes to live with them amazing how smart these
after the death of her kids have to be in order to
parents their lives are do this play," said Williams.
turned upside down. "We're amazed everyday
Mary, who is as sullen as by the stuff they give us on
her new family, has her that stage," she said.
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