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The Secret Garden
Original London Cast
Starring Philip Quast, Meredith Braun, Natalie Morgan, Linzi Hately
Music by Lucy Simon
Lyrics by Marsha Norman
21 Tracks
Read an excellent off-site Synopsis of the London show.
The music of The Secret Garden is incredible; I am constantly amazed at how beautiful it is. The book was a favorite of mine when I was younger, and the music retains the original's marvelous atmosphere. The RSC London Production was revised and further perfected from the Original Broadway and Australian productions, and the CD is a real treasure.
Philip Quast, a favorite of mine, is breathtaking as Archibald Craven, a role one reviewer described as "a blend of Mr. Rochester and the Phantom of the Opera, with a bit of Quasimodo thrown in" (Benedict Nightingale, London Times, 1-3-2001) – a fairly apt assessment of a character that Quast pulls off wonderfully. He puts such an incredible amount of emotion into each of his songs on this CD "A Bit of Earth" is enthralling; "Race You to the Top of the Morning" is touching and tender; and "Where in the World" is the epitome of heartbreaking despair. I could gush about Philip Quast for ages, but I think you get the picture.
Meredith Braun is lovely as the ghost of his wife Lily; it is a difficult role vocally, but she achieves great success. Her voice is perfectly suited to the gentle melodies Lily sings.
When I first heard Linzi Hateley (as Martha) sing "Hold On," I quite literally sat still gaping for a minute. I suspect this is destined to become one of my favorite songs, and I'm positive that no version of it could be better than this one. Hateley's voice is marvelous, and she really brings to life Martha's Yorkshire accent while allowing it to flow naturally with the song, rather than becoming distracting.
Natalie Morgan is a very sweet Mary, and she brings both a pretty voice and a natural smoothness of acting to the role. Craig Purnell is a good Dickon; I do prefer the Broadway CD in this one instance, but Purnell is a close second. Christian Patterson is admirable as Neville Craven, although he was actually the understudy for Peter Polycarpou in the role. His voice is quite suited to the character and he conveys a great depth of emotion in his half of "Lily's Eyes." Luke Newberry is an excellent Colin; his voice is very cute. The supporting cast all have lovely voices, and the chorus numbers are too beautiful for words.
This is my favorite recording of this musical, although the Broadway one is also fantastic. I do wish they had kept the song "Quartet," which was cut from the show sometime between the Australian and London productions, but there are so many other wonderful songs to make up for it I don't miss it too much.
This is one of the CDs I urge you to go out and buy immediately. It is worth every penny, even though you have to pay a bit extra to get it in the U.S.
A side note: it isn't available in regular online CD stores, but you can order it from Footlight Records. Their prices are slightly on the high side, I think, but they are reliable and they ship as quickly as possible. (Again, I'm not affiliated with them or anything; I urge you to shop around and find the best price you can.)
