Posted: 1/6/17 at 12:54pm
Bartlett Sher would likely do a wonderful job with the show. Years back when it was still in operation, NY City Opera apparently tossed around the idea of doing it. In some ways, an opera company that stages the occasional Broadway musical would be the ideal presenter of this show.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 12:54pm
Are you all really suggesting Lucy Simon didn't write the majority of the score to secret garden? I agree Dr Zhivago wasn't as good as it could have been but there are some gorgeous melodies in there. Also I'm pretty sure there is a demo from five years before the original production when Tesori wouldn't have been involved. I just think it's ridiculous. In Dr Zhivago's defense, it was in development for a looonngg time. I'm sure there were some other gems in the score that ended getting cut. Was it a bad show anyway? Yeah of course. I just don't think it deserved the poop flinging it got. Sorry to go off topic.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:00pm
The rumour wasn't that Lucy Simon didn't write the score to THE SECRET GARDEN. It's that she was 'greatly helped' by Jeanine Tesori in developing musical phrases and ideas into (more) fully realized songs and sequences appropriate for the stage. At any rate supposedly Tesori's ultimate contribution to the score was 'substantial' -- but keep in mind too there have been many Broadway composers who were not experienced musical theatre writers who were greatly helped by their musical arrangers / mentors, etc. There are well documented stories about Lionel Bart, Meredith Wilson, and Bob Merrill among others being greatly "helped" in their compositions for the stage.
Updated On: 1/6/17 at 01:00 PM
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:13pm
The Secret Garden was also Simon's first foray into musical theatre composition. She previously only had experience writing pop and folk songs.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:18pm
I've always felt the score to this show, whoever wrote it, is infinitely better than its book, which has always been...clunky, to say the least. I'd be curious to see what sorts of revisions were made.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:45pm
Did anybody ever see the movie that I think was in the 90s. Very underrated and quite great. I'd be curious to see this show to see how they messed up the book when the movie has such an elegantly told story
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:49pm
I saw the original national tour and then a regional production in 2015. The regional production had some weak elements in the design and staging. The transformation of the garden at the end was particularly...bizarre...but that part I actually found oddly effective, at least (others found it jarring and confusing). But as for the material itself, both times I saw the show I thought the score was lovely and memorable, the book was pretty sold and held up rather well. I honestly consider it one of the best scores of the 90s.
The show is really a relic from the 80s epic, public domain sourced, soaring emotional aria-filled, large production musical era.
I didn't really feel that way about it, especially considering it's not a sung-through "pop opera", but then, I usually love those shows (which is probably why I loved Jane Eyre). Personally, I thought Ragtime was closer to what you've described than Secret Garden.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:51pm
kingfan011 said: "Did anybody ever see the movie that I think was in the 90s. Very underrated and quite great. I'd be curious to see this show to see how they messed up the book when the movie has such an elegantly told story
"
I think you mean the 1993 movie. I agree that it is very underrated. It is beautifully shot, with the perfect cast of actors slipping so believably into their roles, and it told the story of the book so brilliantly .
Posted: 1/6/17 at 1:56pm
The 1993 film is superb. As was the (also vastly underrated) 1995 film of "A Little Princess' directed by Alfonso Cuarón which is stunning.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 2:07pm
I'm going tomorrow matinee and I'm very excited as I did the show as part of a summer program back in 2006. The score is gorgeous and I'm so excited to see it performed professionally.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 2:15pm
@QueenAlice what were the cuts? I love the show and I'm trying to think of where those changes would be. Are they large and noticeable? Or very minimal?
Posted: 1/6/17 at 2:42pm
"The Girl I Mean to Be" is sung to the robin in Act 1 rather than opening Act 2
"Round-Shouldered Man" and "Race You to the Top of the Morning" are both gone. The latter is replaced by some dialogue and the melody in the background
The joke about keeping the scenery outdoors
Possibly part of the dialogue before "Wick," but I'm not entirely sure
Neville kind of has a solo, but it's pretty much the same melody as "Quartet," I think
I saw the show about 3 weeks ago and had a great time!
Updated On: 1/6/17 at 02:42 PM
Posted: 1/6/17 at 2:47pm
I haven't seen the production, but the production photos and footage on the DC Shakes website looks abysmal. Not to mention that Anna Louizos is one of the most baffling and uninspired designers working in theatre today. The set looks cheap and quite un-elegant.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 3:25pm
I haven't seen the production, but the production photos and footage on the DC Shakes website looks abysmal.
I just checked out the website and based on what they posted, I'd have to agree. All the design aspects of the production look pretty bad.
The is a video from the production I saw in 2015:
Posted: 1/6/17 at 3:31pm
It definitely doesn't look Broadway calibre, but perhaps this is just a 'developmental' run and production elements would be enhanced for a NYC run.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 3:36pm
My issue with the show has always been that the two acts clash in tone. Act 1 is gothic thriller, full of intrigue, mysterious passages, madmen, sinister ghosts and hidden secrets. Act 2 turns into a children's story, and the menace of the ghosts and gothic intrigue disappears almost instantly. Even the revelation of a long-con murder plot is glossed over and the plotter is given both forgiveness and a new start elsewhere.
I guess I like the parts of the show that aren't really "The Secret Garden" more than I like the parts that are.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 4:07pm
I read the libretto many years ago. I actually like the 'kid-friendly twist on gothic' vibe of the show; but I remember being struck by how most of the characters seemed to subconsciously know that they were just supporting characters. They kept dropping hints and then standing back, so that Mary herself got to do absolutely everything. It got annoying. I wouldn't mind if that got tweaked a bit. Maybe good actors can sell the libretto as-is in an actual production though; I haven't seen it live on stage. And there are some nice songs.
(Although this wouldn't be a Broadway production, this would actually be a good show for one of the site-specific stagings being discussed in that other recent thread. Use a heritage house with gardens, or a botanic garden perhaps. Somewhere that includes a real walled, or otherwise 'hidden', garden space in which Act 2 could be held.)
Posted: 1/6/17 at 7:03pm
The Broadway script / score definitely needs a visionary director to make it work.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 7:23pm
Completely. I saw a production at the Arden Theatre in Philly in the spring that went for a minimalist approach. I love the show but the weakness of the material was glaring.
I've been saying for some time that I wish Bart Sher and LCT would do a production. They would work magic. Bob Crowly or Michael Yergan as the designer please :))
Posted: 1/6/17 at 9:30pm
Interesting that some praise the score but are critical of the book, referring to it as "clunky". If I recall, Marsha Norman won a Tony for "Best Book of a Musical".
I think it is unfortunate to drop the songs "Round Shouldered Man" and "Race You To the Top of the Morning" as they are both lovely songs and they flesh out the relationship between Colin and his father, which is pivotal to the plot.
I am also surprised to hear the show described as a "soaring emotional aria-filled, large production musical" as I always thought it was one of the smaller, less bombastic musicals of its time. Remember, it opened the same year as "Miss Saigon" which sounds more like the type of musical you are describing. By comparison, TSG felt more like a chamber musical.
I saw the original Broadway production many times (at least ten) and was there for the final performance, so obviously I am a fan. It is a show that can be a very dark, somber evening at the theater without the right touch. The original creators were able to find a lot of humor in the piece, especially in Mary's and Colin's bratty behavior. I also remember that the final scene, where the lights come up on the garden in full bloom for the first time, always got a big round of applause for the set designer (Heidi Landesman now Ettinger).. And I still recall one of the most moving moments ever, when Lily and Colin end "Come To My Garden/Lift Me up" and the lights slowly go down around them until there is just one pinpoint of light on Colin as he falls asleep in his mother's arms. It really was an exquisite production, very delicately handled for the most part. I think a revival would need a very special director and design team who could really wow us with their concept. Not sure if this DC production meets those standards, but I'm just judging from pictures and video clips, so I could be wrong.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 9:41pm
I'm not a fan of what I just saw in that video. This show really does require a large production. I agree that Sher and LCT might be a really nice fit, but there needs to be a strong cast on board to make this successful.
Posted: 1/6/17 at 10:21pm
I saw it on New Year's Eve and didn't have any major issues with the production design, but my preferences skew toward the lighter side. (Although one of the reasons I skipped seeing the aforementioned Arden production a few months ago was reading about the projection heavy design in that version.)
Some elements grew a little tiring like the staging device used for the hedges in the garden that incorporated the ensemble but didn't provide much visual excitement. I liked the two levels, loved the use of Lily's portrait, and the final garden reveal was in line with what I expected.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 1:58pm
How does the second act begin now that "The Girl I Mean to Be" is in act one? Are they still using the same overture and entr'acte? Both were left off the Broadway cast album which I've always found puzzling. I would have prefered the overture at least to be included in favor of some of those dialogue tracks.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 2:10pm
unless Roundabout or Lincoln Center are attached to this, it'll probably last about 2 weeks. Just don't see audiences running to see this regardless of the cast.
Posted: 1/7/17 at 2:23pm
CATSNYrevival said: "How does the second act begin now that "The Girl I Mean to Be" is in act one? Are they still using the same overture and entr'acte? Both were left off the Broadway cast album which I've always found puzzling. I would have prefered the overture at least to be included in favor of some of those dialogue tracks.
"
Act two starts with the song "Wick" the song list is
Act one:
India
The House Upon the Hill
I Heard Someone Crying
Skip, Skipped the Ladies
A Girl in the Valley
Its a Maze
Winters on the Wing
Show Me The Key
The Girl I Mean to Be
A Bit of Earth
Lily'a Eyes
I Heard Someone Crying (reprise)
The Storm
Act Two:
Wick
Disappear
Lily's Eyes (reprise)
Come to my Garden
Come Spirit, Come Charm
A Bit of Earth (Reprise)
Hold On
Letter Song
Where in the World
How Could I Ever Know
Finale
Edit: Looking over this I know for certain Fine White Horse is missing. It oddly was not printed in the playbill. I'm pretty sure it came after The House Upon the Hill but I saw the show right before Thanksgiving so I can't remember exactly where it was.
Updated On: 1/7/17 at 02:23 PM
