Search - Lucy Simon, Marsha Norman, Rebecca Luker :: The Secret Garden (1991 Original Broadway Cast)

The Secret Garden (1991 Original Broadway Cast)
Lucy Simon, Marsha Norman, Rebecca Luker
The Secret Garden (1991 Original Broadway Cast)
Genres: New Age, Pop, Soundtracks, Broadway & Vocalists
 
  •  Track Listings (34) - Disc #1

Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel of the same name, The Secret Garden was set apart from the beginning by the composition of its creative team. Not many Broadway shows can boast a female composer (Lucy Simon), di...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Lucy Simon, Marsha Norman, Rebecca Luker, Daisy Eagan
Title: The Secret Garden (1991 Original Broadway Cast)
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Original Release Date: 12/10/1991
Release Date: 12/10/1991
Album Type: Cast Recording
Genres: New Age, Pop, Soundtracks, Broadway & Vocalists
Styles: Vocal Pop, Musicals, Traditional Vocal Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 074644881721, 074644881745, 741117936041

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel of the same name, The Secret Garden was set apart from the beginning by the composition of its creative team. Not many Broadway shows can boast a female composer (Lucy Simon), director (Susan H. Schulman), librettist/lyricist (Marsha Norman), and producer/set designer (Heidi Landesman)--not to mention an 11-year old (Daisy Eagan) in the lead. This story of a little girl who helps her grieving uncle and sickly cousin regain a taste for life is a delicate, lovely achievement. Steeped in moody Victoriana, it should enchant those who enjoy a more understated style of musical theater. The great cast includes Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Luker as his dead wife Lily's ghost, and the perenially underrated Alison Fraser. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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Member CD Reviews

Bobbi B. from SYLMAR, CA
Reviewed on 9/3/2009...
Excellent

CD Reviews

Magnificent moody musical
efrex | New York, NY USA | 06/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the standout broadway musicals of the last part of the 20th century, The Secret Garden boasts a great source (Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel), a wonderful score by Lucy Simon, and a superb cast. From the opening exotic sounds of the cholera outbreak in India which leaves young Mary Lenox orphaned to the (admittedly somewhat schmaltzy) finale of "This, my lovely child, is your garden!" the score swirls and soars in a magnificent musical tapestry. Almost universally consistent accents (an extreme rarity in Broadway theater; kudos to the dialect coach) are instrumental in helping establish the "feel" of the piece, and the dark Yorkshire moor where the majority of the action is set.The cast features the youngest Tony winner to date, 11-year-old Daisy Eagan, who plays Mary Lennox to perfection. Rebecca Luker's glorious soaring soprano makes Lily's ghost songs heartbreakingly ethereal, and even Mandy Patinkin's usual histrionics don't detract a bit from his powerful rendition of the disfigured, disturbed, and perpetually mourning Archibald. The supporting cast is equally superb: Alison Fraser performs "Hold On" and "Fine White Horse" with warm wit and tenderness, and John Cameron Mitchell (now perhaps better known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch) has an impish tone as Dickon, with the standout solos "Winter's on the Wing" and "Wick."The recording wisely includes a substantial amount of dialogue to supplement the score, making it possible to understand the show fully, even for those who haven't seen it (or, like me, saw it almost half a lifetime ago). Complete lyrics, and a solid, concise plot synopsis further enhance the package. A solid addition to any musical theater fan's collection."
Heartbreaking musical
Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 10/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE SECRET GARDEN, based on Frances Burnett's classic children's novel, opened on Broadway in musical form in 1991 to critical and audience acclaim. Most of the praise was for the amazing, eclectic score written by Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman.The show originally starred Daisy Eagan (Mary Lennox), Mandy Patinkin (Archibald Craven), Rebecca Luker (Lily Craven), Robert Westenberg (Dr Craven), Alison Fraser (Martha) and John Cameron Mitchell (Dickon).The score features a lush combination of haunting love songs, sweeping waltzes, Celtic-inspired chants and rock-type anthems as well as a few Broadway-style tunes.Standout songs include the heartbreaking "How Could I Ever Know?", the jaunty "A Fine White Horse", and "A Girl in the Valley". Other great songs are "Winter's on the Wing", "The Girl I Mean to Be", "Wick", "Come To My Garden" and "Race You To the Top of the Morning".It is one of the greatest tragedies that this musical did not run longer on Broadway, but it was later re-conceived and significantly re-written for its West End production at the Aldwych Theatre.Highly recommended."