The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Tower Players are gearing up for the spring musical.

And it’s no secret that they’re in production for the Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden: Spring Edition.

The show will open at the RFH auditorium on Friday, March 16, with a 7:30 p.m. curtain. Performances continue on Saturday night (March 17) at 7:30 p.m.; and the show closes with a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m. on March 18.

The Secret Garden: Spring Edition is based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s story. The Secret Garden blossoms anew in this enchanting musical by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon.

The story begins when young Mary Lennox (Isabella Sciortino) loses her parents to a cholera outbreak in India. Mary is sent to live with her Uncle Archibald Craven (Michael Bogardus), a hunchback who lives in an imposing secluded manor on the British moor. Inside her uncle’s home, Mary finds a reclusive, long-suffering collection of souls. Since the death of his beloved wife, Mary’s Aunt Lily (Lisa Sandoli), Archibald has pushed away his surviving loved ones – leaving his brother Dr. Craven (Calvin Bruno) in charge of the estate, and his bedridden son, Colin (Eli Sannelli), alone.

When she discovers her Aunt Lily’s hidden garden, locked shut and overgrown with vines, headstrong Mary is determined to revive the beauty that once was. With the help of her chambermaid, Martha (Shannah Dolan), and the puckish gardener, Dickon (Jacob Gerbman), Mary begins to peel away the layers of sadness that cover the house, the garden — and herself — in this timeless tale of love, loss, and healing.

The Secret Garden: Spring Edition includes show-stopping Broadway classics such as “Lily’s Eyes,” “Hold On,” “How Could I Ever Know,” and “I Heard Someone Crying.”

The RFH production is directed by Suzanne Sweeney with Kasi Sweeney as assistant director. Musical direction is by Amy Fredericks, and Jen Costa is the director of choreography. Costume design is by Carole Malik. Matt Leddin is overseeing set design and tech crew. Zachary Dzierzgowski is the musical production coordinator.

Refreshments and snacks will be available at the cafe, which will be open an hour before each performance and during intermission.

Tickets will be sale at the door before each show, and are also available via the homepage on the RFH web site, www.rumsonfairhaven.org. 

Admission is $10 for the general public, and $6 for students and seniors. RFH students with SGA cards will receive free admission.