The Secret Garden is a musical based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett book of the same name. The musical's book and lyrics are by Pulitzer Prize winning author Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon. It premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on 25 April 1991 and closed on 3 January 1993 after 709 performances. It then played at The Aldwych Theatre in London from 27 February to 2 June 2001.

It is set in colonial India and in England in 1906 and tells the story of a young English girl, Mary, who lives in India but is forced to move to England and live with her uncle Archibald Craven when her parents die in a cholera outbreak.

Archibald Craven lives in a lonely 100-room Yorkshire manor house, Misselthwaite Manor. He yearns for his beautiful, late wife Lily who was the sister of Mary’s mother. Unfortunately, he blames his crippled son, Colin, for his wife’s death and has left him neglected and isolated. Their quiet routine is turned upside down when rich, spoiled, 11-year old Mary Lennox is sent to live with them following the death of her parents.

While living at the manor house, Mary discovers a secret walled garden hidden in the grounds and releases the magic and adventures locked inside, changing their lives forever. Flashbacks, dream sequences, a strolling chorus of ghosts, and some of the most beautiful music ever written for Broadway dramatize The Secret Garden's compelling tale of regeneration. The show won three 1991 Tony Awards including Best Book of a Musical.

A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Secret Garden, the touching, classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett brought to life on the stage, in a heart-warming presentation that both captures the heart and takes the audience on a journey of discovery.
Haunted by the ghosts of the past, young Mary, sent to live with her estranged uncle in Yorkshire, returns from India after loosing her parents to cholera. In the mysterious Misselthwaite Manor, where cries are heard at night and ghosts endlessly walk the halls, Mary finds hidden warmth and friendship in the odd and colourful staff.

With her strange uncle’s promise of a ‘bit of earth’ of her own, and the help of her new friends, Mary brings back to life a secret garden tended by her late aunt, and with it brings life back to Misselthwaite Manor.

This acclaimed musical with music by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman opened on Broadway in 1991 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Daisy Eagan as Mary, at eleven years old is the youngest person ever to win a Tony).

St Neot’s VAMPS invites you to experience this timeless story like never before. Come join Mary on her journey from it’s eerie opening, through dark halls with quirky and mysterious characters, to an incredible, moving finale you can’t miss.

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