Download The Secret Garden continues development at The 5th

Press Contact: Bridget Morgan
[email protected]
(206) 260-2174
The Secret Garden Featuring Daisy Eagan Continues
Development at The 5th Avenue Theatre
Before Making Its Way to Broadway
April 14 – May 6, 2017
Critically Acclaimed Co-Production with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.
Music by Lucy Simon; Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman;
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Directed and Choreographed by David Armstrong
(Friday, January 13, 2017– SEATTLE, WA) The Secret Garden, in a sensational new
staging created in partnership between The 5th Avenue Theatre and Shakespeare
Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., ended an extended run on Sunday on the East
Coast, and will blossom on The 5th Avenue stage in time for spring (April 14 – May 6,
2017). Featuring Tony Award® winner Daisy Eagan with The 5th Avenue Theatre
Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong at the helm, the show will
undergo continued revisions in Seattle as it makes its way to a Broadway revival. Called
“smart and sensitive… with a yearning, magical pulse” and a “handsome, confident
production” by The Washington Post and “truly a special and thoroughly delightful
production” by D.C. Metro Theatre Arts, The Secret Garden promises to be one of the
hottest tickets of the season.
Twenty five years after her Broadway debut in the critically acclaimed show that cemented
her place in Tony history as the youngest female recipient of the award for Best Actress,
Daisy Eagan returns to the garden. Of her performance in the role of Martha, The
Washington Post said, “In a show that’s all about rebirth and renewal, it’s appropriate that
Eagan’s light maternal touch as Martha feels like the most natural performance of the night.”
“It is such a privilege to be a part of this show’s journey back to Broadway,” Armstrong said.
“The 5th Avenue Theatre has an incredible history of producing new musicals that have
made their way to New York, starting with Hairspray. We are excited to put this production
in front of our smart and savvy Seattle audiences, and let their experience inform the
continued development of this magical show.”
The Secret Garden was created by Grammy Award®-winning composer Lucy Simon and
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman. The show’s lush, melodic score and
moving story of love, loss and renewal earned the 1991 Tony Award for Best Musical and
Media Contact: Bridget Morgan, Senior Public Relations & Communications Manager
The 5th Avenue Theatre • 1308 5th Avenue Seattle, Washington 98101
email [email protected] • tel 206.260.2174 • fax 206.292.9610
The Secret Garden will continue development at The 5th Avenue Theatre
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won the hearts of its audiences. With this production, Simon and Norman are returning to
their much-beloved musical to refine it for contemporary audiences.
The Secret Garden plays April 14-May 6 (press opening Thursday, April 20) at The 5th
Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue, Seattle). Tickets start at $36 and may be purchased at
www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206-625-1900, or at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue, in
downtown Seattle.
The Secret Garden features a creative team including Scenic Designer Anna Louizos
(Broadway: School of Rock, The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Tony Award® nominee, In the
Heights – Tony Award® nominee), Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward (Broadway:
Beauty and the Beast – Tony Award® winner, Into the Woods – Tony Award® nominee,
Sunday in the Park with George – Tony Award® nominee), Lighting Designer Mike
Baldassari (Broadway: Cabaret – Tony Award® nominee, First Date), Sound Designer
Justin Stasiw (Broadway: Something Rotten – associate sound designer, It’s Only a Play –
associate sound designer), Music Director, Supervisor, Conductor and Arranger Rick Fox
(Broadway: Jesus Christ Superstar, Dr. Zhivago) and Orchestrator Christopher Jahnke
(Broadway: Legally Blonde, Les Misérables, The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess – Tony
Award® nominee).
The run at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. was a critical hit for the
company with a full week’s extension of performances. D.C. Metro Theatre Arts called it a
“truly a special and thoroughly delightful production.” Maryland Theatre Guide raved “The
Secret Garden is a must-see for adults and children alike. Exquisitely acted and sung, with
captivating sets, eerie lighting, and authentic period costumes, all the components of the
show work together to support the message of The Secret Garden that hope and renewal
are possible even after shattering grief and loss.” Broadwayworld.com reported “David
Armstrong's production of this gorgeous show at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC)
satisfied this now grown up fan of Frances Hodgson Burnett's original 1910 novel and the
subsequent 1991 musical… this production of The Secret Garden excels in nearly every
way.” Theatrmania.com said “Hopefully many more people will take pleasure in this new
version of Simon and Norman's adaptation, appreciating their obvious delight in both nature
and nurture and their determination to look for beauty in the least likely of places.
About The 5th Avenue Theatre
The non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre is the nation's premier incubator for new musical theater.
Since 2001, the Seattle-based company has produced 17 new musicals. To date, nine
(including the sensational hit Disney’s Aladdin) have moved on to Broadway premieres,
earning a combined 15 Tony Awards®, including two for Best Musical (Hairspray and
Memphis). The 5th Avenue Theatre is also known for its world class, critically acclaimed
productions of musicals chosen from both the contemporary canon and the Golden Age of
Broadway.
Media Contact: Bridget Morgan, Senior Public Relations & Communications Manager
The 5th Avenue Theatre • 1308 5th Avenue Seattle, Washington 98101
email [email protected] • tel 206.260.2174 • fax 206.292.9610
The Secret Garden will continue development at The 5th Avenue Theatre
3|Page
Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for
vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director
David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Artistic Director Bill
Berry, this non-profit theater company attracts an annual attendance of more than 300,000,
including over 25,000 subscribers—one of the largest theater subscriptions in North
America.
In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to
encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive educational outreach
programs. For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its
programs, please visit www.5thavenue.org.
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Media Contact: Bridget Morgan, Senior Public Relations & Communications Manager
The 5th Avenue Theatre • 1308 5th Avenue Seattle, Washington 98101
email [email protected] • tel 206.260.2174 • fax 206.292.9610