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| What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Last Edit: GrumpyMorningBoy 05:32 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 05:31 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| I hadn't listened to the score in ages, and put it on today. Goodness me, this score is even better than I remember it being. There's SO MUCH MUSIC. Egads. And so much of it is just so gorgeously composed, lush, transporting. What would it take to make a hit revival of this show? Is there room on Broadway for a childrens musical based on a literary treasure? I suppose the same could be same of MATILDA, and if that can be a hit, THE SECRET GARDEN could again. For starters, with today's ADD-fueled children, I do think they'd need to make some cuts to the songs that are a bit incidental. ("It's A Maze," "Come Spirit, Come Charm," some of the ensemble singing like the "Storm" sequences). They'd need a visionary creative with really fresh ideas. Julie Taymour, Michael Arden, or maybe Julian Crouch (SHOCKHEADED PETER) or Roger Rees / Alex Timbers. Or maybe some brilliant visual artist whose name we don't know yet. Either way, it needs to LOOK like nothing we've never seen before. And new orchestrations. They'd never get a pit orchestra that big. Maybe super fresh / cool / orchestrations. (I still think Sarah Travis's arrangements for the Doyle SWEENEY TODD are a high water mark for fresh sounds with minimal pieces). But I don't think it needs a star. No one bigger than, say, Laura Benanti as Lily or Annaleigh Ashford as Martha. Give the Patinkin role to Stephen Pasquale and you're golden. I'd invest! Who's got the itching to see a new production? - GMB |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 11:07 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 11:05 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - GrumpyMorningBoy 05:31 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| For starters, with today's ADD-fueled children, I do think they'd need to make some cuts to the songs that are a bit incidental. ("It's A Maze," "Come Spirit, Come Charm," some of the ensemble singing like the "Storm" sequences). There were a number of changes made to the score by the time the tour was happening (and I think I've been told that at least some of them were put into the Broadway show at some point as well). The changes are in the published vocal score and rental materials. "It's A Maze" is practically a different song, and the arrangement of "Come Spirit" is also somewhat different from what's on the recording. "I Heard Someone Crying" has a big, dramatic ending now instead of the austere, sad ending on the recording. But I'm not sure these changes reduce the running time much. (Wasn't it the Australian production, also recorded, that did do a lot of cutting and restructuring, with the writers' participation?) But frankly, if kids can make it through the (IMO) way overstuffed Lion King, (halfway through Act II I was absolutely B.O.R.E.D and really exhausted from what by that point felt like an ever-trying-too-hard-to-impress eye-candy set) this show shouldn't be a problem lol. The ultimate problem, as I mentioned before, is that structurally, too much of the musical, perhaps, is spent on the adults' stories - the rivalry between the brothers, for instance, gives us the phenomenal "Lily's Eyes" and other numbers like that Act II Quartet and Craven's "Disappear" reprise, but these songs make the show feel like much more of a classic epic romance more than anything else. For a younger audience, if anything, I think the show really would need MORE of the cantankerous Ben in "Maze," or the magic of Dickon and songs like "Come Spirit," and less of moping Archie (gorgeous as his songs are) and the family's problems. Not that kids can't love a great romantic story as well, but you know what I mean. However, NO ONE should EVER cut at least the first section of "Storm" music - the one that leads into "Lily's Eyes." One of my favorite bits of music in the show. (Especially the latter half of it, with that trumpet outburst that leads to the huge, dramatic choral wail that gradually fades into the duet - gives me chills every time!) |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:28 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - Chromolume 11:05 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
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| Chromolume, I know our tastes are super similar, but I do agree about that gorgeous "Storm" music that leads into "Lily's Eyes"!!! Super interesting analysis of what it would take to succeed. The show had closed by the time I got to NYC, so I've never seen a production. I have no clue how it really feels in the theater. What made MATILDA such a great success, do you think? - GMB |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: finally 11:42 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:28 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| I think Matilda was expected to be a bigger success than it ultimately was based on the superlative reviews coming out of the London production. It had a respectable run but was not the blockbuster that many thought it would be. The biggest complaint was that it was very hard to understand, which I experienced when I saw the tour (and there are reviews from papers across the country that noted the intelligibility problems, so it was a matter of sound design and not the acoustics of any particular theater). I saw the original Secret Garden tour and was taken by the score & production design and of course had listened to the CD several times over the years. I saw the production in DC that is mentioned in the Playbill article below (the production that originated in Seattle and also played Houston with an eye towards Broadway). It was fine overall (the tree in the garden was breathtaking), but the score really stuck out as being "of an era" to me: that being the era of sung-through musicals in the vein of Les Mis and Miss Saigon and a host of other shows from the same time period. It felt very derivative of that style. Kids in the audience were antsy, for the reasons already noted elsewhere in the thread. I wanted to like it more than I ended up liking it and that was because of the material (not the production). |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: larry13 12:19 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - finally 11:42 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| I too have seen a few productions--not the original on B'way. unfortunately--and never liked it as much as I wanted to, because of the material. But I must say I think its score is like MY FAIR LADY if compared with MATILDA. I'm glad thousands of young girls--and countless others, including most critics apparently--have found so much to love in MATILDA; I thought it totally a waste of my time and money. | |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: Teacher64 11:15 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - Chromolume 11:05 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
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| It was the London production that was substantially rewritten --to the show's detriment-- with the help of the original creators. It was a much more literal telling of the tale with the Broadway production's ghosts replaced with a bunch of dancing servants and gardeners. All the mystery and beauty of the Broadway production were gone. | |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 03:35 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - GrumpyMorningBoy 05:31 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| I think the biggest problem is at the heart of the work. It is not a musical for children, but people think it is because the main character is a child. Seeing the original production, the adults were moved and shaken, but there were children in the audience who could not follow the story. Perhaps the piece could be adapted to make it more kid friendly, but I think that would destroy so much of what was wonderful. But how do you market an adult play based on children's literature, in which a child is the main character? |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 01:53 am EST 01/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - whereismikeyfl 03:35 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
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| I enjoyed seeing the musical on Broadway, but if you watch the film version starring Margaret O'Brien, it really focuses mainly on her character, even though you had a major star of the time like Herbert Marshall as her uncle. I think the creators of the musical, while creating a rather large role for the girl, with a wonderful performance by Daisy Eagan, just seemed to focus quite a bit more on other characters, which somehow took it away from the child's point of view. | |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Last Edit: MockingbirdGirl 06:45 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 06:44 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - whereismikeyfl 03:35 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
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| It is not a musical for children, but people think it is because the main character is a child. I'd say, rather, that people think it's for children because it's based on a classic work of children's literature. Most people who recognize the title probably do so because they read it before they were teens. |
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| EXACTLY! | |
| Posted by: Teacher64 06:20 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - whereismikeyfl 03:35 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
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| You said exactly what I was going to say. THE SECRET GARDEN is a musical about children (well, two of the main characters are children) , but it is most definitely NOT a "children's musical". | |
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| re: EXACTLY! | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 07:45 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 07:37 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: EXACTLY! - Teacher64 06:20 pm EST 01/01/19 | |
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| We're all talking around the same thing, which is fine, but I would say that ultimately this show is NOT a musical about children. It is, in the hands of Simon and Norman, a musical about Archibald. The source is much more about the children in general - including Dickon (who should be 12, but not in the musical he isn't) and Martha (age not specified, but she's probably also really supposed to be a teenager), and the Archie/Lily story is more secondary. Certainly one of the major plot points in the musical is Mary's growth and change (and likewise Colin's, but less so than in the book), but the true focus of the musical is about heartbroken Archie. The climax of the book is Archie reuniting with his healed son. The climax of the musical is Archie (finally) trying to heal and come to terms with Lily's death. (Colin is also mentioned in that duet, but the main focus is on Lily trying to help Archie to move on.) Don't get me wrong - I love the musical. But it's Archie's story, not Mary's or Colin's. |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 11:40 am EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - GrumpyMorningBoy 05:31 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| A lot depends on what you mean by "hit". The '91 production ran for a respectable 706 perfs, but did not recoup on Broadway. There was a tour that ran over a year. Anyone know if Secret Garden recouped as a result of the tour? If you mean a commercially successful revival, you would need casting that would guarantee sold out performances for at least a year. So something like Hugh Jackman as Archibald, Nathan Lane as Neville, and Ben Platt as Dickon (or actors with similar drawing power). Just IMO. |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 09:16 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - BroadwayTonyJ 11:40 am EST 01/01/19 | |
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| Ben Platt did the concert version of The Secret Garden and was perfect. Sydney Lucas played the young girl and was also wonderful. Probably Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Groban would assure a good limited sell out run. | |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 11:45 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 11:37 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - lowwriter 09:16 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Probably Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Groban would assure a good limited sell out run. It would *have* to be a limited run, IMO, to get 2 stars for the brothers - Dr. Craven is really a rather minor role, aside from "Lily's Eyes." (Unless they did a Topdog/Underdog kind of thing and have them switch roles during the run, lol. But that seems silly.) True that Westenberg was well-known in the theatre community by the time he did the role - and certainly he had solid credits, etc. But he wasn't a real "star" - certainly not the way Patinkin was. I think that's who you ideally want in the role - someone who may be a favorite among theatre people, but not a huge star type. Keep in mind that the video of Into The Woods was first shown on PBS just a month before the run of The Secret Garden started.) |
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| re: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 10:27 am EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - GrumpyMorningBoy 05:31 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| From my dim memory of the show on stage, to be a success would take a new book and all new songs. I thought it was a yawn-fest. IHMO. |
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| a revival was announced for this season | |
| Posted by: dramedy 06:43 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
| In reply to: What would it take for a hit revival of THE SECRET GARDEN? - GrumpyMorningBoy 05:31 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| But nothing else in almost a year. Matilda wasn’t a revival. It seems to take a lot to make a revival a hit. I think the Beaumont would be a great place but lct doesn’t do much young stuff. War horse was probably the only kid friendly show in a decade. |
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| Link | http://www.playbill.com/article/the-secret-garden-will-return-to-broadway-directed-by-warren-carlyle |
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| Totally missed that announcement. Any workshops, etc. in the meantime? | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:13 am EST 01/01/19 | |
| In reply to: a revival was announced for this season - dramedy 06:43 pm EST 12/31/18 | |
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| Sorry to seem so unenthused, but I'd be far happier attaching Warren Carlyle to a revival of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS than THE SECRET GARDEN. Cmon, creatives. CREATE. If anything should be a spot for fertile new ideas, it's a garden. - GMB |
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| re: Totally missed that announcement. Any workshops, etc. in the meantime? | |
| Posted by: Maverick2884 08:36 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: Totally missed that announcement. Any workshops, etc. in the meantime? - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:13 am EST 01/01/19 | |
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| I've seen the designs. They're astonishing. When this project finally comes to life, you'll be blown away... | |
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| re: Totally missed that announcement. Any workshops, etc. in the meantime? | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:29 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Totally missed that announcement. Any workshops, etc. in the meantime? - Maverick2884 08:36 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| YAAAY. I really do think that brilliant design would be mandatory. I really do want this to happen! Make it work, people! - GMB |
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