Tom’s midnight garden tells the charming tale of a boy who discovers a secret garden and time travels back to a Victorian era. Whilst staying with his aunt and uncle he becomes interested in the grandfather clock that strikes 13, and it is from this that he discovers a beautiful garden and meets a girl called Harry..
The play is from the novel written by Philippa Pearce which is a favourite story amongst many children and adults. It was a lovely touch to have a member of the audience (who was given the book as a child) at the end of the show being given the opportunity to have a photo with the cast.
On to the production in a packed theatre. The stage setting was Tom’s aunt and uncle’s house in the 1950’s. This required minimal furniture as the main feature of the stage was the grandfather clock which is pivotal to the story. The garden set immediately took us into a bright spring garden complete with potting shed. I felt that the shed could have been a bit more transparent as it was hard to see all of the actors in there, however they only went inside for brief moments so this wasn’t too much of an issue. The lighting really did create the atmosphere for this play and brought the garden to life. The audience were instantly drawn into the magical bright garden. The clever part of the staging was Tom seamlessly walking through the door.
Onto the acting, Finley Rowland gave a Stirling performance as Tom and I felt that the audience felt emotion for the character. Amelia Ryall and Gracie Reynolds captured the stage with their brightness and enthusiasm for the character of Harry. All of the supporting artists played believable characters and captured the time period well.
Overall, this charming performance brought a lot of joy and childhood memories of how wonderful it would be to discover a hidden garden. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m sure I just heard a grandfather clock chime.
Reviewed by Emma T
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