by Barry Willis *

This coming weekend (June 26-28) closes Cinnabar Theater’ s sumptuous production of The Secret Garden, an operetta of hope and triumph by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Norman.

It’s 1906 and an orphan girl named Mary Lennox (Violet Spears) has returned to England from India, where her parents died of cholera. She’s been sent to live with her uncaring uncle Archibald Craven (Ben Sasnett) whose son Colin (Nathanael Koross) has been bedridden and isolated for years as attending doctor Neville Craven (Archibald’s brother, played by Zachary Hasbany) tries ineptly to treat him and protect him from infections,

Mary befriends her cousin, much to her uncles’ displeasure. Mary sets about trying to find an abandoned garden once cultivated by her departed aunt Lily. Its location known only to maid Martha (Nicole Stanley), the garden holds great promise for Mary, Colin, and the entire clan—for Colin especially, in that the garden may have healing properties.

It’s a compelling setup for a sweet redemption story told in dialog and music, conveyed by Cinnabar Theater’s large cast on the Warren Auditorium stage in Ives Hall at Sonoma State University. The venue is big and comfortable and the performance is tremendous, even if the mass singing sometimes obscures a few lyrics. Brent Strader’s five-piece band situated stage left beautifully drives the show.

Huge sumptuous projections envelop the entire production, morphing seamlessly from scene to scene. The projection designer isn’t specifically credited in the playbill, but apparently it’s part of Peter Crompton’s set design. They’re absolutely stunning, making light work for the other aspects of Crompton’s design. Set changes consists mostly of rolling pieces of furniture on and off the stage while the projections and music handle  most of the evolving tale.

The show’s two young leads are wonderful, as are the rest of the talented troupe—not all of them North Bay regulars. Cinnabar executive director Diane Dragone mentioned that the show employs talents from throughout the Bay Area. That sort of exactitude extends to every aspect of this show. It’s a delightfully uplifting evening of the theater.

Playing through June 28, 2026 in the Warren Theater of Sonoma State University, 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park.

Click HERE for more information and tickets.

Photos by Victoria Von Thal

Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact:barry.m.willis@gmail.com