The Secret Garden at the Arden Theater

The long:

Fans of

Harry Potter

and

The Chronicles of Narnia

will fall for this musical rendition of Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 English tale of an orphaned 10-year-old who goes to live with an unhappy hermit uncle in an imposing mansion on the moors to discover new friends, a locked garden, and total redemption.

The short: Catch Pa. native Tony-winner 13-year-old Bailey Ryon before she takes over Broadway. (Wait. She already did that.)

The demo: Ages 10 and up.

The length: 2.5 hours, including intermission.

The set: Pop-up books and dollhouses figure prominently.

Moment to yourself: The theater is dark. The music is lovely. The whole performance is a moment.

The star: Glen Rock's Ryon shared Broadway's biggest award for excellence in theatre with three other girls for playing the title role in Matilda: The Musical. To prep to play Mary Lennox in the Old City theater, she left her four siblings, moved to Philadelphia, and rehearsed six days a week. On Mondays, her day off, she attends school and dance classes.

The basics: Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St., times vary through June 19, $15 kids and teens, $36-$50 adults, 215-922-1122, ardentheatre.org.

- Lauren McCutcheon is taking her 11-year-old niece to see this musical, leaving her 4-year-old to spend three hours getting spoiled by his aunt.