Will The Secret Garden Grow Again on Broadway With Original Star Daisy Eagan?

The recent Shakespeare Theatre Company and upcoming 5th Avenue Theatre coproduction of Lucy Simon and Marcia Norman's acclaimed musical The Secret Garden is aiming for a Broadway run, according to just-released press notes.

The show ran at Washington D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company November 15-December 31, with the Seattle run set for April 14-May 6. According to a new press release, "the show will undergo continued revisions in Seattle as it makes its way to a Broadway revival," though no timeline has been announced.

The cast of the Seattle run will be headed by the original 1991 Broadway production's Tony-winning star Daisy Eagan, who, at 11 years old, became the youngest actress to earn a Tony Award for her performance as Mary Lennox. She now takes on the role of Martha, originated by Tony nominee Alison Fraser.

The Washington, D.C. cast features Olivier Award nominee Michael Xavier (Sunset Boulevard) making his American debut as Archibald Craven, Broadway veteran Lizzie Klemperer (Bright Star) as Lily, and Tony nominee Josh Young (Amazing Grace) as Dr. Neville Craven. Young performed the role of Captain Albert Lennox alongside Eagan in the Manhattan Concert Productions mounting of The Secret Garden this past February.

5th Avenue Theatre executive producer and artistic director David Armstrong helms the production, which has re-enlisted its composer Simon and book writer Norman to refine it for contemporary audiences.

Based on the children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden tells the story of 10-year-old Mary Lennox, who is orphaned in the British Raj of India and sent to England to live with her reclusive uncle, Archibald Craven. The original Broadway production earned seven Tony nominations including Best Musical and Best Original Score, and won awards for Best Book of a Musical (Norman), Best Scenic Design (Heidi Landesman), and Best Featured Actress (Eagan).

For more information about The Secret Garden at 5th Avenue Theatre, click here.