The Secret Garden Review Celebrates Craft and Nature

The Egg theatre in Bath is presenting a thoughtful adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden" as part of its 20th-anniversary celebrations. This puppetry production, adapted by Tom Wentworth, focuses on the themes of craft, creativity, and the beauty of the natural world. The play features animal puppets that interact with the audience, and flowers that bloom across a green-washed stage, creating a charming atmosphere for the young audience.

The production highlights the artistry of its puppetry, with Cat Rock's creations described as beautiful, skipping, soaring, and darting around the theatre. Specific puppets mentioned include a plucky robin, a majestic owl, and a "ridiculously lovable fluffy lamb." The puppets themselves are designed to showcase their construction, with frayed edges and exposed original fabric, serving as a testament to the craft involved in their creation and mirroring the play's thematic celebration of natural beauty and creation.

Complementing the puppetry is a striking set design by Kat Heath and evocative music composed by Ben Osborn. The Yorkshire Moors setting of Misselthwaite Manor, where the protagonist Mary is sent after being orphaned, is realized through fabric curtains and large, spindly-fingered gloves worn by actors, which sway dramatically to represent the wind. This unusual and imaginative approach to staging is noted for its ability to capture the young audience's imagination, even if it initially elicits giggles.