Ahmanson's Broadway-Aimed THE SECRET GARDEN - Reviews & News Thread- Page 3

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 2/22/23 at 10:27pm

JasonC3 said: ""The Secret Garden was the last great romantic musical (emphasis added), the last musical with every number, ballad or uptune to be steeped in a glorious type of melody we never hear anymore."
 

Light in the Piazza????

 

[TellZ]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 4:01am

Saw this earlier this evening. While I can see the argument for shortening Quartet (nearly cutting it completely - you get Neville's opening verse and that's it) and cutting Race You to the Top of the Morning, not having them really robs us of sorely needed time with Neville and Archibald to develop their characters and stories. In lieu of Race You, Archibald just slipped a book onto Colin's bed while he slept, which was odd and confused people who attended with me and weren't familiar with the show already.

Boggess and Lester are transcendent. Boggess is so ethereal, and every time her mouth opens is a thrill. Lester provides much needed fun and levity, and then blew everyone away with Hold On. What a thrill to hear this score live, sung by such incredible singers. Lyles and Davis are standouts, gorgeous singing. Lazar is reliably great, but it's really not much of a part. Is he evil? Is he doing this to Colin on purpose? Is he just incompetent? The book isn't clear.

The set, while working well enough, feels...inexpensive. Glimmers of really beautiful design and staging choices happen, but the addition of a turntable and a more enveloping design would be welcome. A lot of empty space.

The choice to have cholera as a "character" didn't bother me, but it also didn't feel more effective than the original red handkerchiefs. So, a lateral move in my book, but I appreciate choices being made!

Adored how the act I finale was staged, up to the door placement.

Boggess is the lifeblood of the show. How Could I Know provoked audible sobs in the house. The final moment was stunning.

Lighting is gorgeous and I appreciated that there wasn't a projection to be found.

Hoping to return later in the run to see if anything changes!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 4:15am

Exactly, Piazza, Passion (depending on your definition of romantic...)

[Melissa25]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 5:28am

I have never seen The Secret Garden and based on the reports in this thread I really hope it makes it to Broadway. It sounds like a perfect night of musical theater to me and I would love to see it especially with this cast.  I had tickets to A Little Night Music at Barrington last year where Sierra supposedly was radiant but I unfortunately had to miss it.  I did catch Lazar though in Bridges and Fun Home and he was wonderful.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 7:12am

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "JasonC3 said: ""The Secret Garden was the last great romantic musical (emphasis added), the last musical with every number, ballad or uptune to be steeped in a glorious type of melody we never hear anymore."


Light in the Piazza????"

Would have been nice if you had left in the "Hmm"  that came after the quoted excerpt from my post since it indicates my skepticism about the claim that another poster offered, but in your post looks like it came from me.

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 2:17pm

TellZ said: "Boggess and Lester are transcendent. Boggess is so ethereal, and every time her mouth opens is a thrill."

Ms .Boggess is, for me, perhaps the finest musical theatre soprano currently on the scene.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 5:13pm

henrike said: "I had the opportunity to catch this tonight.To keep it simple, I can say that it's not gonna be a hit.

Despite it being a first preview, the performance was quite polished, however.

I'm only casually familiar with The Secret Garden and I absolutely adore many of the gorgeous songs by Lucy Simon. I purchased tickets wanting to hear Sierra Boggess' Lily and it didn't disappoint. The biggest applause of the evening from the audience, however, was "Lily's Eyes" and "Hold On". The orchestra sounded a bit thin, and the program only listed about a dozen musicians.

The cast was all quite good, if not generic. Derrick Davis as Archibald had a terrific voice.

I'm not too much of an expert with The Secret Garden to know if there were any book revisions.

Having said that, the book is just awful. I'm sorry to say it, but it's *so* boring. I kinda see the themes that the musical adaptation is trying to explore, but it didn't succeed in moving me emotionally. There were quite a few kids present in the audience, and I'm sure they were bored to tears/didn't understand what was happening with the uninspired, bare staging.

The scenic design was regional theatre-esque in that it seemed like the designer had to work with limited budget (a unit set, if you can call it that, featuring that swirly vortex thing, with beds/tables rolled in from the wings. The rose garden reveal was... uhm lol). And having seen Chaplin (which was another mediocre show), I'm just not sure of Warren Carlyle's ability to bring something potentially beautiful to a dud material like this.

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

And can someone please fix the damn rose petal confetti? Random pieces kept falling on the stage every few minutes when it wasn't supposed to (I think). Highly distracting. And when the rose petals did rain on stage at the finale, it wasn't the magical moment the audience was anticipating it to be. It was more like "oh gawd, it's finally falling" since they teased it so much throughout the show.

Since this is a first preview with a possible Broadway run, I shouldn't be too harsh. There are many good elements budding from the ground that could potentially make it a beautiful show. But without some DRASTIC book revision, it's just not a good show. And it will not make any money on Broadway. The design seemed quite cheap enough to build, so maybe Roundabout can pick it up for a limited run?"

You said the orchestra sounds thin. An 11-12 piece orchestra can sound fuller with the proper sound design. The Ahmanson, however, is notorious for its bad acoustics.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 2/23/23 at 8:02pm

So in this version did they really cut the bits that make it clear that Colin's inability to walk is due to Neville not allowing him to ever leave his bed (and possibly some inappropriate use of medicine as well)? Because when I directed the show a few years ago it was definitely in the script. Taking that away makes the character of Neville completely pointless except to accompany Archibald on "Lily Eyes"...

[A Director]

Posted: 2/24/23 at 5:07am

Yes, the score for The Secret Garden is beautiful, but the book is pretty weak.  I loved the novel when I was a child. It is about two children, Mary and Colin, who are 10 years old who are the focus of  story. Norman and Simon made a major mistake of focusing the musical on the adults. They built up the character Dr. Craven. In the novel,

"Dr. Craven is a cousin of Archibald Craven and serves as Colin Craven's doctor. Dr. Craven is shown as not always having the most integrity in trying to help Colin heal, prioritizing his own concerns of inheriting Archibald's estate over helping the child recover from illness. By the end of the story, however, Dr. Craven seems genuinely pleased to see Colin overcoming his sickness."

In the musical, the scenes in India go on and on, so it takes forever to finally introduce Mary who is  a secondary character.

No amount of fixing will make the show better.  When the show was running on Broadway. Forbidden Broadway did a parody, "The Secret Deodorant Garden."

[pethian]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 8:14pm

What's the timeline for LA reviews. Will we see anything tonight?

[mikey2573]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 11:44pm

"Yes, the score for The Secret Garden is beautiful, but the book is pretty weak."

For the record, the original production of THE SECRET GARDEN won three Tony Awards, one of which was for Best Book of a Musical (Marsha Norman).  

"In the musical, the scenes in India go on and on,"

In the actor's edition of the script for THE SECRET GARDEN, the India scenes are the first four pages.  By page 5 we are at a train station in Yorkshire. 

 

 

[R. GreenFinch]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 12:06am

I personally consider this to be one of the most perfect books. I wish they'd stop messing with it. 

Not going to be able to travel to see this one, but I don't really like the design. The "elements" angle they mention in the captions on social media doesn't really match the rest of the show. I wish they'd kept the Anna Louizos from the DC production a few years back.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 1:11am

A Director said: "...In the musical, the scenes in India go on and on, so it takes forever to finally introduce Mary who is a secondary character.

No amount of fixing will make the show better. When the show was running on Broadway. Forbidden Broadway did a parody, "The Secret Deodorant Garden.""

With all due respect, this comment left me scratching my head a bit. Watching the ....archival footage of the OBC available in certain places, the India scene begins at time 2:03, with Mary appearing some 30 seconds later. Mary is on stage, singing, and an integral part of this prologue, which concludes 4 minutes and 19 seconds later -- and we shortly thereafter are out of India.

I'm truly not pointing this out as any type of "gotcha" moment, but it certainly seems that Mary is not only an important and active part of this opening, but the "India scene" informs crucial aspects of the rest of show -- how Mary came to be in her Uncle's estate, the life she used to live, who all of these ghosts that haunt the rest of the story are (family members and friends of the family that died of cholera), and maybe most importantly, how Mary came to be Mary.

I don't disagree that it's not a perfect book (of a musical), but I can't find fault with this section.

Updated On: 2/27/23 at 01:11 AM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 2:37am

I was puzzled by that comment too, and assume I was either mis-remembering the original tour (very possible) or the comment was about one of the many revisions that come and go?

 

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 12:16pm

I was blown away by the pictures I've seen of the set. It's stunning!! I hope it has life after this production 

[bk]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 2:44pm

I believe this review accurately captures what's going on. 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Review-THE-SECRET-GARDEN-at-Ahmanson-Theatre-20230227?fbclid=IwAR2TfczcMr5lxLS8MUvHltdUet-J9Fe2opWUPOJSLcl0nnXrv_PTGKWUWZg

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 8:12pm

bk said: "I believe this review accurately captures what's going on.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Review-THE-SECRET-GARDEN-at-Ahmanson-Theatre-20230227?fbclid=IwAR2TfczcMr5lxLS8MUvHltdUet-J9Fe2opWUPOJSLcl0nnXrv_PTGKWUWZg"

The show is of its time and I don't see a directorial vision that would make this show a commercial success on Broadway.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 8:27pm

Ouch, that review really stings. I agree that the orientalism in the show is pretty problematic. “Come Spirit Come Charm” is especially cringe.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 8:55pm

I might have cultural blind spots, but I thought “Come Spirit Come Charm” wasn’t “cringe” at all, but in fact a high point of the show, where Mary moves in a distinctly Indian way leading the company in a choreographed dance to bring her Aya’s spirits into play in the garden. I thought that sequence was a great new idea for the show. 

Updated On: 2/27/23 at 08:55 PM

[bk]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 1:43am

BroadwayBaby6 said: "bk said: "I believe this review accurately captures what's going on.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Review-THE-SECRET-GARDEN-at-Ahmanson-Theatre-20230227?fbclid=IwAR2TfczcMr5lxLS8MUvHltdUet-J9Fe2opWUPOJSLcl0nnXrv_PTGKWUWZg"

The show is of its time and I don't see a directorial vision that would make this show a commercial success on Broadway."

Directorial vision: Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Dan6]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 9:32pm

Center Theatre Group posted this video of Julia Lester singing "Hold On":

https://fb.watch/j6mRU6m1oP/

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 10:21am

Saw the show on Sunday and really enjoyed it.  The sound at The Ahmanson varies from show to show.  Very difficult to hear the beginning of each act - we were front, side Orchestra.  It seems to take 15/20 minutes before the sound gets adjusted correctly.  

[musikman]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 11:56am

Dan6 said: "Center Theatre Group posted this video of Julia Lester singing "Hold On":

https://fb.watch/j6mRU6m1oP/"

She sounds terrific, but WHY are we doing The Secret Garden with such a minuscule orchestra?!? Far and away the best part of the show is the music, and it feels like we’re getting shortchanged.  I hope it sounds fuller in person. 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 1:53pm

We were there the first preview and can assure you the small orchestra actually sounded very full (at least from front orchestra where we were sitting). While I had misgivings about much of this production, the music-making of the cast and instrumentalists was generally superb.

[RLFan623]

Posted: 3/8/23 at 2:04am

I've seen the show twice, and saw the Mary alternate, Sadie Reynolds perform on Sunday, 3/5. I found her Mary to be more likeable and her voice to be better than the main Mary (who performs on the weekdays). The other Mary alternate (Ava?), based on the reels she posted on her Instagram has an amazing singing voice. Not sure how her acting is, but her singing voice would have been on par with the adult principals.

My parents are huge Phantom fans, so I took them to see the show for my mom's birthday. The talent of the adult principals goes without saying. It's rare to get a cast with four cast members who have been in Phantom on Broadway (Sierra Boggess, Ali Ewoldt, Derrick Davis, and Aaron Lazar), and Julie Lester, who steals the show with Hold On, and John Michael Lyles were outstanding. My parents were disappointed to not hear the adults sing more, which is understandable. I share that disappointment with them.  I can hear them sing all day.  

My biggest gripe is that after watching videos of original Broadway production on YouTube is that the staging and set design left a lot to be desired. The set design felt quite simplistic, which i think a few others on this board already mentioned.  While the ribbon/swirl worked in the storm sequences, I found it distracting and limiting the use of the full stage. In the day and age where you see Elsa easily transform the stage into her ice castle, it would have been neat to see a similar effect done to make the garden bloom.  

I also missed the choreography and interaction between Lily and Archibald in A Girl in the Valley and How Could I Ever Know from the OBC videos. A Girl in the Valley feels a bit more like a playful flashback in part due to Lily's costume change, while in the OBC it feels like both Lily and Archibald are both reminiscing what it would be like to dance with each other again. For How Could I Ever Know, seeing Lily comfort Archie makes the scene.  The love she has for him becomes palpable.

I hope the show does make it to Broadway, but there is definitely some room for improvement.  I also could just be biased.  As much as I like Sierra Boggess, Rebecca Luker will always be Lily to me.