The Secret Garden
Tuesday 13th August, 7.30pm, gates open 6.30pm
The evening of Tuesday 13th August was sunny and warm; a perfect time for our annual open-air theatre performance. The Garrison Church was the perfect place; the sun setting behind the Barracks, making the gold mosaics of St George and the Dragon catch fire, and then as the evening deepened, the effective lighting created an atmosphere of its own in the Chancel with shadows of pools of light alternating.
The Plandits were the company that had both adapted the book by Francs Hodson Burnett, brought their own staging and lighting and acted all the parts. Mary Lennox, her Indian ayah, Mrs Medlock, the housekeeper at Misslethwaite Manor, Archibald Craven, the dour uncle, Dickon, the boy from the moors, the Ben Weatherstaff, the grumpy gardener, Colin Craven, whose life was transformed by the discovery of the garden, who all portrayed by the company's 3 actors; achieved with the tweak of clothing, or a different accent to switch their identities, (a special shout-out also to the puppetry of the wild animals, particularly the fantastic fox). The actors were all remarkable and the audience responded with enthusiasm.
It was simply a lovely summer's evening in a magical space, with a life-affirming story told with passion by a small cast. What could be better.
