It might not be true that we, the living, are haunted by our beloved dead. It may be that we haunt them instead.

In the stage adaptation of The Secret Garden, it is not the ghosts that can't let go, that linger in the shadows and trouble human ears with their sighs. They would be happy enough to leave, if only the people still on Earth would relax the grip on their memories and get on with their lives.

That is one of the central ideas of Marsha Norman's production of the beloved children's classic. It is receiving a lushly sung production through Dec. 29 at Olney Theatre Center.

Youngsters expecting to see a faithful rendition of Frances Hodgson Burnett's book may be disappointed - and not just because of the almost operatic treatment. The adult roles are greatly expanded and embellished upon, and the children's roles are somewhat diminished.

The central character no longer is the orphaned Mary Lennox, a sour, disagreeable little girl who is sent to live with distant relatives in England when her parents die of cholera in India. And the central transformation no longer belongs to Mary's spoiled cousin, Colin. In both versions, he becomes happy and well when he is taken out of the bedroom in which he has been confined for 10 years and into his mother's garden, which he tends with loving care.

But in the musical, more dramatic weight is given to Mary's uncle and Colin's father, Archibald Craven, who has plunged into a severe depression after the death of his young wife, causing him to neglect the son he loves and the niece who comes to live with him.

This shift in focus has practical benefits; the success or failure of the production no longer depends quite so much on the ability of two or three child actors. (In Olney's production, Mary and Colin are played by children, while Dickon is played by an adult actor, Gregory Smith.) Eleven-year-old Rita Glynn (Mary) and Justin Spencer Pereira (Colin) are just fine - when they enter the secret garden, real excitement shows on their faces, and in one scene, Rita's temper tantrum seems particularly heartfelt. But it is no slight to them to say they are not the equals of the experienced adults in the cast.

Less wisely, Norman has invented a villain - Archibald's physician brother, Neville, who tries to banish Mary to school and has a stake in Colin remaining ill. Isn't the point of the novel that Mary and Colin are their own worst enemies? Their renewal doesn't depend on vanquishing an external threat, but on discovering that the person who has been making them so unhappy is themselves.

To be fair, the emotions conveyed by Lucy Simon's intricate, layered score are subtler than those in the script. One of the loveliest of many lovely moments occurs in "Lily's Eyes," when Archibald (John Scherer) and Neville (Christopher Flint) sing the praises of the dead woman whom both loved. Scherer's plush vibrato mingles with Flint's lower, smoother tone like a braided ribbon of dark and light.

Scherer also delivers an affecting ballad, "A Bit of Earth," in response to Mary's request for a parcel of ground in which she can plant flowers. And Peggy Yates shows off a pure soprano voice in a love duet with Scherer, "How Could I Ever Know."

Scenic designer Daniel Calloway has designed a flexible set that transforms the stage in an instant, as the script hopscotches between a colonial estate in India, the endless hallways of an English mansion and a garden surrounded by an ivy-covered wall. In particular, Calloway's use of empty brass picture frames manipulated by the actors emphasizes the theme of memory that runs throughout the show.

The costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan contrast nicely between the ordinary clothes for the living characters and the sumptuous white ball gowns worn by the dead. These elegantly waltzing men and women seem far more mysterious and beautiful and alluring than any real human being ever could hope to be.

Perhaps that's the point.

The Secret Garden

When: Tuesdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m.; 7:30 p.m. Sundays; 2 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, some Tuesdays and Thursdays. Through Dec. 29

Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney

Admission: $15-$35

Call: 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org