The Secret Garden at Tower Theatre Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Content warnings: Contains depictions of illness and disability that reflect prevalent attitudes during this period
The Secret Garden is, of course, a well-loved classic. Written in 1911, it was published in The American Magazine in ten instalments, and has since been adapted for film, television and theatre countless times, including a run at The Regents Park Open Air Theatre in 2024. Taking all of this into consideration, it’s probably actually quite strange that I have never seen or read The Secret Garden. What a first experience for me. The Tower Theatre have excelled with this production, which showed everything so wonderful about live theatre.
We meet Mary (Eloise McCreedy), a cantankerous young girl who has grown up in India, largely brought up by servants. When cholera kills her parents, Mary is taken back to Britain to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Michael Hopkin), much to her displeasure. McCreedy is a very entertaining watch, stamping her foot and furious when the maid laughs at her, asking for help to get dressed. It was very much like watching a young girl throwing a tantrum, with the mannerisms perfected.
The true magic comes through when Mary discovers the secret garden, locked for ten years following the death of Archibald’s wife. Phillip Ley’s set design is beautifully done, transforming the space into an idyllic garden which flourishes throughout the duration of the show. The ensemble uses a puppet robin and rabbit, bringing the creatures to life as they bound and fly around the garden. Mary’s friendship with Dickon (Pablo Tranchall), her maid’s brother, blossoms as they tend to the garden together, with Mary noticeably becoming brighter and happier the more time she spends outside. Tranchall and McCreedy appear to gel extremely well, so much so it is genuinely lovely to see their friendship grow.
Morgan Buckley’s performance of Colin is a definite highlight of The Secret Garden. Playing sickly, weak Colin, he spends much of The Secret Garden lying in bed until Mary encourages him to get up and to come to the garden. Colin is, of course, portrayed in a way that was the norm at the time of writing and does not reflect the modern attitude that we have today. Buckley really hammed the character up, with his screeches and demands ludicrously funny in parts, also drawing emotion when he discovers he can walk and is reunited with his father.
I saw The Secret Garden on its opening night, and noticed a few stumbles on lines here and there. Nothing detrimental to my enjoyment, and something which I’m sure will be smoothed out. The accents were great, and the text kept true to form and not updated to modern ways of speaking. I also particularly enjoyed having different narrators throughout, giving the ensemble their fair share of being on the stage. Hard to believe, but this is an amateur production, which I certainly wouldn’t have thought if it wasn’t written on the poster.
It's clear to see why The Secret Garden is so well loved, and still going strong over one hundred years after its initial publication. It was lovely to see children and young people in the audience, taking in the magic which has spellbound so many worldwide. This production was everything that there is to love about theatre, escaping to another world for ninety minutes. A show to be proud of, and yet another success for The Tower Theatre.
At The Tower Theatre until 1st November 2025.
★★★★
