OAKLAND – Spring brought the rebirth of the “The Secret Garden” to the Bay Area. On Sat., Apr. 12, Ronn Guidi’s Oakland Ballet performed two showings of the early 20th-century tale by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

In the story, an orphaned child is sent to England to live with a relative on his expansive country estate. The estate’s owner still mourns his wife, who died giving birth to a child a decade earlier. The child is sick, kept in bed, until the orphan brings him into the light of the “secret garden,” locked since the wife’s accident there.

Admittedly, the first act was a bit slow. The music did little to enliven the script. The orchestra was not terribly large, judging by its sound.

The second act was much more exciting, and familiar. The staging, from a backdrop of lovely purple and yellow flowers, to a charming gardener’s cart, was inspired. Playful storytelling and acting kept the production engaging. The sensual dancing between the man of the manor, Archibald Craven, played by Joral Schmalle, and his deceased wife, Lilias, portrayed by Jenna McClintock, was a welcome respite from the enjoyable, if kid-friendly storyline.

Another boon was the diversity of the company. The faces of black, white, Asian, Latino, and mixed dancers reflected a Bay Area population, but not what I expected to see at the ballet.

The recent show was part of an Oakland Ballet revival. Despite its thorns, the company showed signs of growth in its “Garden.”

Photos by Edward Casati