A (somewhat) daily rambling on the life of a polymer Clay metal clay and Fused Glass artist/teacher/author.

Very soon my blog will move to my website...as soon as it is done that is. This blog will be my Theatrical life of directing The Secret Garden

Friday, December 30, 2011

Here we go again!!! The Secret Garden Part I

Most of you know that I absolutely LOVE the theater...live, movies, TV. I  am passionate about acting and directing.

Just about 20 years ago I promised myself that I would direct the musical of the children's story The Secret Garden. The musical is based upon the book by Frances Hodgsen Burnett. The story was serialized in 1910 in The American Magazine and published in book form in 1911.

This novel became one of the most prized and read of all children's novels. Did she have any idea that it would become a stage musical and a non-musical movie? I wonder... She died in 1924 without ever knowing how immensely popular her work would become. She published Little Lord Fauntleroy in 1885 and added to her celebrity with A Little Princess which later became a musical too.

In 1991 the musical version of The Secret Garden made it's Broadway debut in New York City in April of 1991. Marsha Norman adapted the book into a musical play and put her twist on it by increasing Mary's role and that of Lily and Archibald.  Her writing emphasized the theme of love and loss of the book. She subsequently won a Tony for her work: Best Book of a Musical.  Lucy Simon (Carly's big sister) wrote the music for the show. She said, "I was very interestedd (in this show) because of course I loved The Secret Garden as a kid, and had read it to my child...So I had a sense of where that (Yorkshire) landscape was...and also being a folk singer, I did a lot of Scottish and Irish and English folk songs."  She received a Tony nomination for this show: Best Original Score. She also wrote songs for A My Name Is Alice too.  Ahem, I was in A MY NAME WILL ALWAYS BE ALICE.

So, you can see that I am so thrilled to be directing this show.

That said, I never read the book as a child. My sister, Lelana, said it was her favorite story when she was little... hmmm? I never saw the book... but then, I love a mystery and jumped right into the Nancy Drew hardbacks.

So, as I write I am finishing up with rounding off my staff. I just need a Properties Director and an Assistant to the Directors. 

Oh, and I went to Palo Alto on the Wednesday before Christmas to see an equity production of the show at TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley... Excellent, wonderful, entrancing... and yes, underscored my desire to direct this wonderful and loving show.

More later.

Go here for Audition information
Go here for part II
Go here for part III
Go here for part IV
Go Here for part V
Go Here for part VI