The Secret Garden

RSC Stratford Winter 2000 Season

The Secret Garden previews Nov 13th, Opens 28th November, Closes to Jan 27th 2000.



RSC picture.

A touching story of lost love, passion and discovery,

The Secret Garden is one of the most beloved books ever written.

The RSC presents a major musical staging of Frances Hodgson Burnett's timeless novel.

The creatative team behind the acclaimed The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe (RST 1998 & 1999), RSC Artistic Dircetor Adrian Noble and Designer Anthony Ward, are reunited on The Secret Garden and are collaborating with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwrite Marsha Noman and Tony Award nominated and Grammy Award winning composer Lucy Simon. This version has been completely revamped from the Broadway production.

Musical Staging and Choreography - Gillian Lynne, Musical Director - John Woolf, Musical Supervisor - Chris Walker, Lightening Designer - Chris Parry, Sound Designer -Andrew Bruce/Terry Jardine and Orchestration - William David Brohn.










Cast:

Pic of Philip.Synopsis:

In a lonely manor house on the Yorkshire Moors, Archibald Craven yearns for his beautiful, late wife and become ever more isolated and remote from his crippled son. But their quiet routine is turned upside down when young Mary Lennox is sent to live with them following the death of her parents in India. She finds a secret walled garden hidden in the grounds and releases the magic and adventures locked inside, changing their lives forever



Review by Tim of the Preview Performance 2:30pm on Saturday 18th 2000


I just had the pleasure of seeing a preview of The Secret Garden at the RST in Stratford.

What a fantastic show after listening to the broadway cd I knew what to expect ,there were a few changes in this new production.

The stage seating is quite sparse with just moving objects, screens and great backdrops ,the final scene in the garden with the roses is very stunning, but it is the amazing cast that excel in this show, all are so brilliant and perfectly cast.

The one and only Philip Quast is awesome and his duet with Peter Ploycarpou on Lilys Eyes is so incredible worth the ticket price on its own, as is Philip's duet with Meredith Braun (Lily) on How could I ever Know is so touching and moving and Meredith is so great and just gets better and I have been a big fan of heres since I saw her in Sunset Blvd, her portrayal of Lily is so beautiful .

Other highlights of course are Linzi Hateley (Martha) singing If I had a fine white Horse and the brilliant Hold On followed by Mary singing The Letter song such a simple song but very well performed by Tamsin Egerton Dick who is a big star in the making.

Craig Purnell (Dickon) is quite good but I was comparing him with John Cameron Mitchell on the cd and his voice just isn't as good as his, but his comic timing is excellent.

Freddie Davies, Dilys Laye both brilliant and Peter Polycarpou shame he only really has only the one song but he is such a great actor that kind of makes up for it, and of course some great choreography from Gillian Lynne in Its a Maze.

I loved the show as you maybe can tell and couldn't recommend it more for all the family and cant wait to see it again when it should transfer to the Aldwych next spring, but it is well worth a trip to Stratford in the meantime as it is a lovely theatre and a great place to visit for the first time like I was doing.

One of the best shows I have ever scene and the applause at the end was very loud and so well deserved

We would like to thank Tim for giving us permission to add his review onto the site.

The Secret Garden Stratford Season -

Reviewed by Tina 4 December 2000


I found the whole show a delight. The opening scene was rather chilling -Indian music - colour - a group of shrouded, writhing figures, choking through the cholera epidemic (reminding me a little of the start of Les Mis) - then Mary Lennox being discovered in a seemingly abandoned house, waking and singing beautifully a charming little song remembered from her Indian nanny. Tamsin Egerton Dick did a lovely job of the sulky, brattish Mary, later becoming a cheerful, pleasing child. Then England, and the brisk pace of the railway station, a train and coach journey to Yorkshire - the grim housekeeper, Mrs Medlock, Mary and cast doing a brilliant impression of a jolting vehicle in motion. In fact, the pace of the show is very cleverly set, the scenery simple and effective.

Everyone by now knows the story well enough, so I'm going to move on a bit to Misselthwaite - and to Philip, or Archie, I should say. Such a strong presence on stage, stooping over his stick and looking somewhat vulnerable and comforting in an old cardy. The mobility of his face fascinated me - I must admit - I hardly left off staring at it through the whole performance! He's such a craftsman. At one point, whilst Archie was addressing his brother, he spoke with such irony that it reminded me of Pearse, though he looks much softer with his lovely, floppy hair. In fact - there was the same sensitivity and dignity as is present in Pearse and Javert.

Archie singing A Bit of Earth was touching, as was his waltzing with Lily. Meredith Braun's voice was beautiful. In a bluish-violet light, she seemed to lead Archie and the children a graceful dance throughout the performance. Peter Polycarpou's voice was fine, but I think he made a rather bland Neville. Lily's Eyes was gorgeous - drew cheers and whistles from the audience, and it was very evident that Philip was enjoying himself.

Archie singing Race you to the Top of the Morning to his son was so tender and tragic. I really loved the little chap who played Colin (Eddie Brown) He was so comic and sparky, though his voice was sometimes a little weak -and he had us in fits of laughter, later, doing his deep breathing exercises in the garden with Mary, Martha and Dickon. Linzi Hately's Martha was really delightful. Dickon's initial goofiness irritated me, but I soon ceased to notice it and began to like him. He was quick and funny (he looks a bit like Stan Laurel) but his voice didn't really do justice to Winter's on the Wing.

Freddie Davis as the head gardener reminded me of Grandad! There were some fun scenes with the children throwing tantrums - Mary turning tables and shouting insults at her proposed schoolmistress, and finally lobbing a book at her head. The reaction of that lady made the audience hoot! The Chorus voices were very good and the dancing well done.

Back to Philip - and Archie stumbling through the rain drenched streets of Paris, bewildered and desperately searching for Lily. Where in the World was so moving. Distraught, Archie's face crumpled in anguish, pistol produced from pocket, buckled on his knees (a heart wrenching moment and I wanted to leap from my seat and run and hold him tight). Had to leave that pleasure for Lily, who appears for that lovely duet, finally persuading Archie to break his hold on her.

The ending was magic - Archie, visibly lightened of his burden, returning home to find all in the garden rosy !! - I mean literally - and his son amazingly on his feet, his new life ahead in loving his child and his new family extended to include Mary and Dickon.

Never mind what the papers are saying! The audiences, both nights I was there, loved it - and the cast knew it. I've heard nothing but favourable things about the play. Philip received the loudest applause of all and the warmth of his appreciation was extended back to the audience by a gesture of his outstretched hand. On the second night, the two children walked up to Philip and made him a little bow and so did Meredith Braun (who got a hug in return). It was lovely to see and really made my night.

Everyone was commenting that the children in the audience, who made the usual din beforehand, were still and attentive throughout the performance - which speaks volumes these days !

I did go back to the stage door, and saw and spoke to Philip very briefly after the first night's show. It was dark, but mild - and I did not have to wait that long. He emerged wearing a woolly hat and I asked, 'Mr. Quast, would you mind terribly?', offering him my pen and programme. Bless him, he swung his bag down from his shoulder - I was already feeling bad, as it was his second performance of the day and he must have just wanted to be with his family. I said that the show was a bit of real magic and I received a smile and a thank you. His voice was beautiful - the first time I'd heard a definite Aussie twang and he seemed to almost sing his words. He'd make a shopping list sound good!!!

I walked round the town, wearing a silly grin I know, for half an hour before returning to the guest house. Bless him, I thought, for being so sweet and courteous when he must have been tired - which is why I'm writing this here!


Review By Carita Nybom, from Helsinki, Finland

Please Note English is not first Language.

I saw the musical two times. I just couldn’t resist to make the trip to Stratford once more after the first ovewhelming experience. These were afternoon matinees, so a lot of children, hundreds it seemed, were to accompany me in the auditorium. On Thursday they took the habit of screaming after every song. This drove me to desperation many times. After tender or tragic pieces the screams shattered the spell like a bomb. Imagine this for instance after Lily s and Archibald’s love- and farewell-duet in Paris. I cried.

I have to admire the whole cast, they all were excellent. The musical contained a lot of dancing, which the actors performed with marvelous precision at the same time as they sung. The setting was simple and beautiful. The garden was visualized by high transparent screens with grey silhouettes of trees. This was very good, because it was supposed to be winter, or at least something else than spring and summer. In the last scene, in the secret garden, tangles of rose-vines with enormous roses hang from the ceiling. When something mysterious was going on for Mary, the floor was covered with smoke. Not so in Archibald s visions of Lily, maybe because these were so real for him. Small robins appeared and disappeared mysteriously. How on earth ? The robins had important roles.

You know the story, so I won’t waste space and time on it.

The lead, Mary Lennox, was on Tuesday played by Natalie Morgan and on Thursday by Tamsin Egerton Dick. Both were wonderful. The boy, Colin Craven, was played on both days by Luke Newberry, and he was exactly the fragile Colin. Linzi Hateley made Martha, Mary’s servant, a caring but just friend of Mary. Especially I liked her Hold on. Dickon, Martha s brother was played by the wonderful Craig Purnell. Meredith Braun was the ethereal ghost of Lily, the late wife of Mary’s uncle, Archibald (Philip Quast). She was beautiful both to look at and to listen to.

Colin, and the whole house, in fact, is taken care of by Archibald's brother, Neville, Peter Polycarpou. I think he made a good match to Philip Quast. They sing one of the most beautiful songs in the whole musical, Lily s eyes. [NOW imagine 500 kids screaming after this song. *horror*]

How did I see Philip Quast play?

On Tuesday I didn't believe my eyes or ears. My first thought was "Is this really Philip Quast?" Was it his voice? I heard his singing was so weak, so bleak. On Thursday it was all different, or hadn t I used my ears on Tuesday? His singing was wonderful right from the beginning. He became more fabulous every time he entered the stage. His acting and his singing met and surpassed all my expectations. You know that voice. Can you imagine it live? POWERFUL! Both when power was needed and in soft parts. Philip Quast had to show so many facets: a man tired of life, longing for his lost happiness, his wife Lily, yet at times lifted to this heavenly happiness in the visions of her ghost. When she is gone his face is full of bewilderment again. Archibald flees to Paris, but cannot get far enough from Lily. She is there, too. She appears, in the last minute, when he has a pistol in his hand, he is ready to end his life. "Is that you, Lily?" he asks, when Lily is behind him. They sing the most beautiful song in the whole musical and this is the most powerful scene. In his misery, Archibald falls down on his knees so deep that he touches the ground with his head. Lily helps him up on the knees and embraces him. Archibald weeps like a child. Philip Quast showed such >earnest and genuine desperation and agony, that my heart bled. There is also relief and comfort, when he knows that, though she is gone, she will never leave him. He is also knows expected home and to the beautiful secret garden.

Picture some Quasties at stage door.



Picture of Quasties who meet up to see Secret Garden together.


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