College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

The show must go on

It's not called SOV anymore, but there will be a spring musical.
When Veishea was cancelled after the riots last spring, it looked like another tradition would fall by the wayside.

"I was pretty angry," said Katie Mozack, a senior vocal music major. "To have such a great tradition jeopardized because of the actions of a few was disappointing."

Disappointing to Mozack and other music and theatre seniors because Stars Over Veishea (SOV) was the last opportunity they would have to be in a musical on campus.

But through the efforts of President Gregory Geoffroy and others, SOV has been reincarnated in Stars Over ISU.

"President Geoffroy felt so strongly that Stars Over Veishea was something we shouldn't let go by the wayside," said Terence Goodman, assistant professor of theater. "SOV has been integral to student recruitment and alumni relations for decades. He thought it was a very positive endeavor and wanted to continue it."

Funding from the President's Office and the new student organization Leaders Inspiring Connections (LINC) made Stars Over ISU possible. But the name change won't be the only change individuals who have been attending the spring musical during Veishea for years will notice in April.

The most obvious change has been the selection of "The Secret Garden" as the musical. Originally, the SOV production was slated to be "Man of La Mancha."

"We wanted something family oriented," said Goodman, who is directing the musical. "'Secret Garden' is based on a much-beloved children's book, but it also has a very sophisticated message for adults."

The selection of the much smaller production also moved the musical away from Stephens Auditorium to Fisher Theater. The show will also be performed over two weekends (April 8-10, 15-17), instead of the usual one weekend during the Veishea celebration.

That has caused some changes in the way Goodman, the cast and crew have approached this musical.

"Fisher is a much smaller stage than Stephens," he said, "and that has created some challenges for us."

There is also a much smaller cast for this year's production than in the past. Ted Brimeyer, who plays Dickon in the show, was in "Fiddler on the Roof" in 2004.

"This is a much more intimate show than the SOVs I have been in or seen in the past," the Ames native said.

"I didn't know what to expect after the switch was made from 'Man of La Mancha' to 'The Secret Garden,'" Mozack, who is cast as Martha, said. "But it's exciting to do something new and different. The musical is so fresh that I think people will really like it."

"It's one of the most complicated shows in regards to the characters," he said. "It has some of the best music to come out of Broadway in years. That gives our music students a chance to do something that is vocally challenging."

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden" tells the story of Mary Lennox, a lonely little girl who is sent to live with her uncle Archibald in Yorkshire after being orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India.

Still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife Lily, who died ten years earlier during childbirth and distraught over the condition of his bedridden son, Archibald casts a dark shadow over the manor until Mary discovers a secret garden that had once belonged to Lily. By nursing the garden back to life, Mary somehow restores life to her grieving uncle and his sick son.

"The Secret Garden" opened on Broadway in 1991 and won a Tony Award for "Best Book of a Musical."

Goodman describes the musical as operetta like in form with 36 songs.

"A great deal of the music is the storyline as opposed to supplementing the storyline," he said. "Now we're able to do more staging with the musical chorus than we would in a musical like 'Fiddler' or 'La Mancha.'"