The Secret Garden - London Revisions
The Secret Garden - London Revisions
#1The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 12/20/15 at 5:22am
Does anyone know the details of what was changed when The Secret Garden was revised for the RSC in 2001? My understanding is the greek chorus of ghosts was removed and a few numbers cut, but would love more specific detail.
AEA AGMA SM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
#2The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 12/20/15 at 9:33am
The ghosts were all removed except for Lily (and maybe Albert and Rose?). There were some cuts, and a lot of restructuring of the score ("I Heard Someone Crying" was given a big overhaul and moved into the "Storm" position after "A Bit of Earth" and "Lily's Eyes" was moved to after "Round Shouldered Man" to become the Act 1 finale). There were also new orchestrations done.
The cast recording is available on iTunes if you are curious to hear what it sounded like and get a flow of the show. I heard it once a while back and had a harder time getting into it since I didn't think the vocals were nearly on level with the original Broadway cast.
#3The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 12/20/15 at 11:01am
I've always wondered why the creative team allowed (?) or wrote the changes themselves and then ultimately decided not to use them and revert back to the Broadway/tour libretto for the lisenced version. Who wanted the changes and who didn't like them?
AEA AGMA SM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
#4The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 12/20/15 at 12:13pm
I would assume that part of the reason the licensed version is still the Broadway/tour libretto was because the RSC production didn't happen until 2000. The show already had a strong life in regional and amateur productions here in the US by that point so changing the licensed script to the RSC version probably would have caused a bit of an uproar.
#5The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 3/16/16 at 12:16pm
Does anyone know if there's a script of this that exists? I would love to take a read. I've recently started listening to the RSC version and feel like it might be better that the Broadway/Tour version!
#6The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 3/16/16 at 2:26pm
There were a lot of complaints about the original production that the ghosts and structure were "confusing." The Broadway production was rather adult despite being a family musical. The RSC when they took on the show apparently wanted a shorter and more family friendly production- and that's basically what they got. It felt like children's theatre. I'm a little surprised they haven't licensed the RSC production but I am glad they haven't replaced the availability of the Broadway script. I still think it's a shame that Jason Robert Brown will now only let the condensed Donmar version of Parade be licensed.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
#7The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 3/16/16 at 4:32pm
Right. And while it obviously does (and kinda has to--I mean they wanna keep Lily's Eyes...) have all that stuff created for the musical about the brother rivalry (or even having a brother) etc--I've also heard the restructure was an attempt to make it more familiar with the novel. I love the novel, I love the 1990s film that is close to the novel, and I love the musical--but this version, at least on CD, does nothing for me.
#8The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 3/16/16 at 5:00pm
And in truth, they didn't even simplify it that much, because in lieu of the ghosts, they had a big singing and dancing chorus of chambermaids and gardeners (complete with a big dance with feather dusters and garden rakes) which just felt sophomoric and conventional in a rather dated way.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
#9The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 3/16/16 at 8:39pm
I'm hoping that one day we'll get a big west end production using the original book.
The RSC version wasnt terrible and I liked the new placement of some songs, but cutting the Quartet was a crime! its one of my favourite parts of the score. Peter Polycarpou was wasted in this production.
I also dont think Phillip Quast was right as Archibald.
mikey2573
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/28/10
#10The Secret Garden - London Revisions
Posted: 3/16/16 at 9:29pm
I always got the impression that the creative team capitulated to the folks at the RSC. After all, the S in RSC stands for "Shakespeare", so they MUST know what they are doing. I think the RSC version had a few nice little changes (like the Lily's line in "How Could I ever Know?" being changed from "How could I ever know?" to "Now, you must let me go".)But for the most part, it was dismal and nowhere near as moving as the Broadway version.
I always was a bit miffed by the write up in the liner notes of the RSC recording, which reads, "THE SECRET GARDEN opened on Broadway a decade or so ago, in a vastly less distinguished version." REALLY???
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