Tony-winning `Secret Garden’ a family musical

It’s no secret that musicals are one of the most popular events at the Maine Center for the Arts. Last night’s touring production of “The Secret Garden,” loosely based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1910 novel of the same name, was no exception.

Seventy percent of the tickets for the original production — which opened in 1991, got three Tony awards and had a 656-performance run — were bought by women. It is one of the first almost-all-women teams to write, produce and direct a musical. And although last night’s audience was, indeed, made up largely of women and lacily dressed little girls, it was definitely family night at the Maine Center with plenty of fathers and brothers and couples, too.

The show lends itself well to a family audience because it is essentially about loss and discovery of family. As many know from reading the classic children’s novel, the story revolves around Mary Lennox, who is sent to live with her unhappy uncle after her parents die. His manor on the Yorkshire moors is filled with ghosts and mysteries, but nothing intrigues Mary as much as the secret garden, which has been locked since the uncle’s wife fell out of a tree there 10 years ago and died while giving birth to a son. The sickly boy now stays sequestered because he senses his father blames him for the death. Mary’s presence exorcises both the ghosts of the house and the ones that keeps father and son separated.

Last night’s production hinted as to why “The Secret Garden” won awards for sets, costumes and lighting. The ethereal Victorian gowns were gorgeous, and the lighting created both the gravity and verdure of the manor.

Additionally, Rebecca Stevens was a delight in the lead role, particularly when she performed an Indian charm dance.

Unlike many musicals, this one has very little humor and, in fact, borders on being dull — even though it has important messages about the pain of loss and the persistence of love in finding the key to joy. But it wasn’t as if anyone could have fallen off to sleep last night. The overly miked voices, combined with highly dramatic performances, often made it seem as if the show might better be named “The Shouting Garden.”