The Secret Garden has always been a story which has evoked rich imagery, like all of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s books. Lush tangled garlands of roses, ivy-covered stone walls, the dour and dark halls of Yorkshire mansions. Sunshine slowly permeates the flow of the text. With it comes a tide of greenery, that picks you up and carries you away with all the joy of the oncoming English summer. This new version of the play by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard is, in theory, the perfect pick for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, where the trees rustle up against the stage and parakeets fly overhead.
Mary Lenox is a spoilt, lonely orphan who is sent from India to Yorkshire to live with her Uncle after her parents die of cholera. There she finds herself in a world of secrets and locked doors. Lonely and bored she sets out to find the mysterious garden in which no one has set foot in ten years and manages to uncover a few more hidden things along the way.
The casting choices for The Secret Garden were excellent, not only for the actors’ talent but also because it lent diversity to the story in a way which honoured the original characters of the book. Hannah Khalique-Brown in particular perfectly encapsulated the disagreeable nature of Mary whilst at the same time portraying her relatable experience of feeling different in a world that fails to help and understand you. The cast as an ensemble Greek chorus created a lively and amusing atmosphere which garnered consistent laughs.
Unfortunately, the set design failed to match up to the rest of the performance. While the choice to blend English and Indian design into the set created some interesting visuals, it fell short in other areas. Whilst the minimalism worked quite well when showing Mary’s journey from India to Yorkshire it became clumsy and disjointed from there on out. At certain points, the stage just seemed cluttered.
The real disappointment was the garden. Instead of plants, there were streamers and ribbons. Whilst it was clearly intended to be a homage to cultural decorations, the effect came across as threadbare and cheap. A good idea but poorly executed. One can’t held wonder why the readily available foliage around the stage was not made use of, but instead blocked out by the very beige set design.
While this version of The Secret Garden did drastically veer away from the original messaging of the book, to question the beliefs that you and other people have about yourself, it did settle on another important message. Knowing your own limitations and accepting and working with them is just as vital as being able to defy others’ expectations, and that was beautifully shown by the cast. All in all it was an enjoyable performance, just don’t expect any greenery.
