The Secret Garden – The Musical returns to its Yorkshire roots in a new revival at York Theatre Royal, led by a company of actor‑musicians. Ann Marcuson joins the cast as Mrs Winthrop in this fresh take on the beloved story.
This production is directed and designed by Tony Award‑winner John Doyle, promising a reimagined staging filled with music, atmosphere and emotional depth.
The Secret Garden – The Musical runs at York Theatre Royal from 17 March to 4 April 2026. Tickets are available here.
You’re starring in The Secret Garden – The Musical at York Theatre Royal. What can you tell us about the show?
This piece is an adapted version of the musical of The Secret Garden, first performed on Broadway in 1991 and later in the West End. We have a company of twelve actor‑musicians, including four child performers. We spin lots of plates simultaneously with all our different skills – which is both exciting and quite impressive.
We’re telling a story about how a girl’s arrival into a family home, frozen in a stagnated emotional state, affects a profound change and brings about a returning of life. The piece is rich with metaphors, all augmented by the music and images of the design and how we work within that space. I hope that this revival will touch, move and inspire audiences.
You play Mrs Winthrop in this revival. What initially drew you to the role?
Mrs Winthrop is the headmistress of a girls’ school and, as such, she would have had high status in society for a woman at that time. She has some amusing lines and, although we haven’t got to that part of rehearsals yet, I’m sure we will have a lot of fun with the torrent of abuse that Mary gives her. Maintaining status within that context will be an interesting dynamic to explore.
The beauty of this piece is that there is so much more to it than playing these characters. The attraction of doing The Secret Garden is more about being part of a beautiful piece of work crafted by John Doyle with a brilliant ensemble, and playing Cathy’s stunning arrangements of the magnificent score.
This production features a cast of actor-musicians. How has that influenced the atmosphere in the rehearsal room?
My experience on shows with actors who are also musicians is that the rehearsal dynamic is quite egoless. Of course all humans have an ego, but when you are playing a piece of music together and all hitting bum notes (particularly loudly in my case as a brass player), it is a total leveller and that makes for very good company cohesion.
We are not hiding that we are playing instruments. It is fully integrated into the piece, and playing the music allows us to tell the story through the instruments. Our instruments are just another element, like another limb. It is like another realm that we are able to use, and this works beautifully for The Secret Garden.
The story deals with themes of healing, nature and connection. How have you approached exploring those ideas in performance?
We are spending quite a lot of time talking during the rehearsal process about what the piece is saying and what we are discovering whilst doing it. It is a fascinating process to be working within. John has designed a set that is not naturalistic and lends itself to the play crossing two worlds: the real and the spirit. The music and the movement augment this.
As an ensemble we are discovering that we are sort of in both worlds simultaneously sometimes. There is a lot you can say by playing a line of music that the spoken or sung line can’t do in the same way, so this all lends itself to the different realms we are playing with.
There is a fluidity and forgiving nature to the way the piece is being created, almost like a soft focus. The metaphors are rich, as are the images we are creating. We are erring towards not adding anything extra to that. I am sure we will continue to refine and play with these images until the very end of rehearsals.
All the themes you ask about are there in the images and music we are creating. If we simply tell the story and don’t get in the way of it, the audience will see everything for themselves – and for each person watching, it will be different. The challenge is that we don’t do too much.
John Doyle’s work is known for its distinctive style. What has it been like collaborating with him on this project?
We are having a lovely time in rehearsals, which is a bit like a masterclass with the brilliant John Doyle. He is weaving a beautiful tapestry with all the elements we have in our skillset.
The process, however, is discovering how to tell the story as simply as possible. It can be quite busy with so many elements, so John takes his time to try lots of ideas with us, all to refine it down to the most beautiful, impactful and often simplest images. It’s like watching a painter with a huge canvas – and we are the paint.
John treats everyone with exactly the same respect in the rehearsal room. Actors who feel valued, respected and seen give their best work because they are relaxed and aren’t trying to get it “right”. I think John has a bit of an aversion to “perfection”! Phew!
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see The Secret Garden – The Musical?
Come with an open mind, an open heart, and be ready to discover something for yourself. The audiences will be doing the work alongside us as they come on this magical journey. Be like a child!
