Tuesday, May 3

Secret Garden Musical to run for six weeks at Ambassadors Theatre

Around 300 children are to star in a new production of The Secret Garden at the Ambassadors Theatre for six weeks from July 27th to August 31st (press night August 3rd)

The musical which received its UK premiere in 2000, will run alongside Stomp. Directed by Rupert Hands, the new production has been cut to 75 minutes in length.

More than 2,000 children have auditioned for The Secret Garden and 300 youngsters will be cast in the show.Producer Matthew Chandler of P2P Productions said: “This is the European premiere of a new version of The Secret Garden, specially adapted to be performed with just 4 adult actors and 20 children. We have 21 teams child actors who will perform in rotation throughout the season. of It is a fantastic opportunity for all the youngsters involved.”

Orphaned while living in India, 10 year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire, England to live with her embittered, reclusive uncle Archibald, whom she has never met. There, the ill-tempered and lonely Mary meets Martha, a chambermaid, who tells her of a secret garden which belonged to her aunt Lily before she died. Mary’s search for the garden introduces her to a slew of other characters including Dickon (Martha’s brother), Ben (the head gardener), Neville (her other uncle), and a spirited robin that seems to be trying to talk to her. This compelling tale of forgiveness and hope reveals that even the cruelest of environments can blossom with new life.

Hands said he was looking forward to working “with such an exciting company of young actors”, after more than 2,000 children auditioned for the production.Giving young people the opportunity to work on great shows in great spaces is vital for the future of theatre,”

Richard Baker will be musical director for the show, which has choreography by Jamie Neale and costumes by Lizzy Leech.

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