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Kudos to Sandi A . for being able to write a review of The Secret Garden the day after she saw it. I, on the other hand, have been back a week and I'm still experiencing P.Q.T.S.S. (Post Quast Traumatic Stress Syndrome)!.
On Nov. 27, my friend and I arrived in Stratford Upon Avon after spending the prior week Xmas shopping in London. I've been to Stratford many times before, but always in warm weather. The streets were always impassable with tour buses and the sidewalks choked with a sea of humanity. Only a PQ play could persuade me to go back there. But I was pleasantly surprised to find how quaint Stratford can be without the tourists. This time of year the air is crisp with the smell of fire places burning. The streets are empty except for the friendly locals and the sparkling Xmas lights make it extra special.
It was raining and blustery the whole time, but I wasn't cold. Maybe the thought of PQ was warming the cockles of my heart! Anyway, we ate an early dinner and walked to the theatre which was at the end of the street from our hotel, "The Shakespeare".
When we got there, we were somewhat disappointed in our seats. We were in the 5th row. You would think that was close enough. But I told the box office back in June that I wanted to be as close as possible to the stage. They insisted we would not be able to see anything any closer cause we would be looking straight up and the view would be obscured. As it turned out, it was okay, as we were still in the "Blue Eyes Zone". You know, that's the official distance at which you can still see Philip's eyes!
My reaction to the play is almost identical to Sandi A's review. The play was enjoyable, but every minute I was thinking....Where's Philip? The cast was overall very good, especially Natalie Morgan, the lead little girl. This kid was fantastic, I can just imagine how good her voice will be when she grows up. I'm glad the critics seem to like the play, and treat it as a "family treat". This will ensure it's success.
This is the third time I've seen PQ in person, but the first time in singing role. My reaction to his performance was weird. I was totally depressed. I knew each time he sang, that I wouldn't be able to hear it again. I kept looking for the remote, so I could rewind like a video. Reality check!
His voice is unbelievably good. He almost whispered part of 'Race You To The Top Of The Morning' to his sleeping son and it was as good as anything I've ever heard. I was only slightly disappointed in 'Lily's Eyes'...not because of his powerful voice, but because he had the smaller part in the song. I have the highlights of the Australian production of The Secret Garden memorized where PQ had the role of the other brother...and this was his big number in that CD. I wanted to turn down the volume on Peter Polycarpou so I could just hear PQ!
I think the one thing that surprised me about his performance was his acting ability. He was so damn good, especially where he showed such "angst" in his scene with the ghost, Lily.. Remember I was close enough to know his tears were real! His interaction with the children in the cast was genuine...especially at the final bows. You could see he was happy at the reaction of the crowd, (the audience was full of children).
In general, English audiences are pretty subdued in their applause...not so on this night! The kids in the audience were excited and showed it. We so-called adults saved our loudest applause for Philip and as usual he seemed embarrassed by it. Could he be any cuter?
Several women in the front row gave him a standing ovation. So I decided to approach them after the performance. I knew they must be "hard core" fans. I really wanted to know if their view was obstructed. One girl had that glazed, "deer in the headlights" look. She was so excited, she could hardly talk. It was really funny. I told her we had come from Chicago just to see PQ and she said she had come with her mom from Sicily.
The next day we were walking around town and Freddie Davies, (who played the gardener), walked in front of us. A few hours later, Meredith Braun, (played Lily) literally bumped into me. About a half hour later, we decided to go to the theatre and see if we could get a backstage tour. On the way, Craig Purnell, (Dickon) passed us. We also passed him on the way back, this time with his girlfriend on his arm. Okay, where was Philip?
As it turned out, there were no backstage tours being conducted because it was Press Night. Apparently everyone was running around backstage changing parts of the play. I explained to a RSC person in the lobby that I wasn't too disappointed... we had just come to Stratford to see PQ, and we had already seen him. She said "If you really want to see him right now, he's over at ...." Well you can fill in the blank, cause I'm not going to invade his privacy by telling where he hangs out. But I did go to the place she suggested and I saw he was there.....but believe it or not.....We chickened out! I figured he might be nervous, as it was Press Night, and I didn't want to bother him. Ok, Ok, I'm not a martyr...We looked at each other and realized we had been running around all day in the rain and looked like drowned rats. So yes, it was our vanity that kept us from Philip!!
P.S. For those that are going to London to see The Secret Garden, we checked out the Aldwych Theatre while there. There are no bad seats in the stalls. Unless they change the configuration of the stage for the production, you should be able to see everything from as close as the front row. And the stage door is very accessible..Go for it!
