Review: The Secret Garden

This is a wonderful adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's brilliant novel of the same name. It is a timely reminder of the powerful life-giving strength of nature and how connecting with the outdoors can be so rehabilitating. I am only sorry that I didn't see the original production in Scotland's Theatre in the Hills at The Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Artistic director Elizabeth Newman created this adaptation for the summer 2023 season in the Pitlochry Amphitheatre which reopened in 2021. Ben Occhipinti's production was well received and offers a glimpse into how the play can be staged in schools. A cast of eight performers were used in this premiere, but Newman suggests in her cast list notes that the play can be performed by ‘five actors with different doubling, or far more actors’. This flexibility in cast numbers would surely make this a very inviting project for any drama or theatre department or company.