Adele Marszalek played Mary and was quite simply superb
The Secret Garden
The Nonentities
The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster
****
On a wintry night across the Midlands
region, The Nonentities took on the mystical story of The Secret Garden,
a stage adaption by Sylvia Ashby of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911
novel.
Very little is known about the development of
this often dark and brooding English country house tale. However Burnett
once did describe the novel to friends as "an innocent thriller of a
story" and one that she thought of "one of her own best finds."
In her own life, Burnett was no stranger to the
kinds of raw experiences that her central character in the story, the
young girl Mary Lennox, comes to suffer. The loss of a parent at an
early age, shipped off reluctantly to another strange country, having to
make new friends and the loneliness of an austere childhood.
In The Secret Garden a young girl Mary, is sent
to an isolated manor House in Yorkshire, owned by her uncle. The move is
under duress after she has been shipped from India following the death
of her parents. Her uncle too is under a cloud of mourning, after losing
his wife in an accident and so he has little to do with her on her
arrival.
The oft forgotten backstage crew turning
their hand to horticulture to sew a garden
She’s spoiled, angry and bitter at her life;
having no real friends, until one day she discovers an out of bounds and
uncared for Secret Garden. She vows to bring life back to it and in turn
rejuvenates more than the dying plants, but the lives of everyone around
her.
The Nonentities seem to have also been planting
seeds of their own as they have now among their number some excellent
young actors, who were central to the success of this performance.
Adele Marszalek played Mary and quite simply was
superb in handling this key role. The shift needed from Marys angry
arrival at the Manor house to her gradual delight in being alive as her
Secret garden grows, was handled with focus and a real sense of joy.
Although the production suffered a few first
night nerves, it seemed that when another fellow young actor, A Field
joined her in the second act, playing the sickly son Colin Craven, that
the pair relaxed into a very competent performance. During their first
meeting the pair commanded the stage alone and the production certainly
grew in confidence.
Another young man Thomas Powell played Dickon,
Mary’s gardening guru and again delivered a very solid performance.
When the play did falter a couple of times, it
was the confident stride and delivery of Rebecca Wilbrooke as the house
maid Martha, Mary’s one friendly acquaintance, that rescued the action.
Martha’s upbeat and friendly manner added a sense of real compassion and
understanding for the young girl’s troubled life.
Patrick Bentley provided great support as the
gardener Ben as did Pamela Meredith as the stern and spiteful Mrs
Medlock hell bent on bringing Mary into her line of disciplined
thinking.
Emma Preece as the Nurse, Chris Kay as the
suspiciously motivated Doctor, and Jane Williams as Mrs Appleby all
played their part in making this production a great success. A little
mention too goes to Beth Dalton and her friendly Robin.
Director Richard Taylor and the team had also
created a very adaptable stage set that handled with ease the numerous
locations jn which the story is set. Many of the scenes were underscored
with well-chosen music and for once this all added to, rather than
detracted from the atmosphere and poignancy of this story of hope and
renewed growth.
It’s great to see these young actors working
alongside the well-established Nonentities team and the experience can
only serve them in the furthering their own skill, whilst serving as the
new green shoots for the future of this talented company. To 04-12-21.
Jeff Grant
29-11-21
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