The Secret Garden at The Little Theatre, Leicester.

An uplifting story presented in a superb production with a stunning cast, The Secret Garden at The Little Theatre in Leicester is the perfect play for the start of spring.

The play, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Children’s novel of the same name, tells the story of Mary Lennox (Olivia King), a precocious child raised in the British Raj and orphaned when her parents (Olivia Phillips and Tom Young) and her Ayah (a nanny in India played by Tejal Purohit) die of cholera. She is sent to the Yorkshire moors to live with her reclusive uncle Archibald Craven (Kieran Whelan-Newby) who himself is stricken with grief over the death of Lily, his wife Lily (Rose Bale).

King is a force to be reckoned with as Mary. She is at times stubborn but over time warms to the characters and her situation. This is a role that requires strong acting, a great voice, and a lot of energy. King has all three in spades. I am certain King will go far in theatre! Her solo song ‘The Girl I Mean to Be’ is a wonderful chance to see her to show off these strengths.

Archibald’s manor house is haunted by the ghosts of both his and Mary’s past and is managed by Archibald’s brother Dr Neville Craven (Russell Webster) and housekeeper Mrs Medlock (Karen Gordon).

Whelan-Newby, who also directs the play, is superb as the hunchbacked Archibald. His singing is smooth, and he plays the character with great heart, saying much with just his eyes and facial expressions. His duet with Webster, ‘Lily’s Eyes’, show off both men’s strong vocals.

Whelan-Newby’s voice also pairs beautifully with Bale’s. Their duets ‘A Girl in the Valley’ and ‘How Could I Ever Know?’ are filled with such emotion it is hard not to be moved.

Mary at first dislikes her new living arrangements. She hears mysterious crying at night and her uncle seems to avoid spending any time with her. The chambermaid Martha (Kerry Smith) encourages Mary to play outside.

Smith’s solo numbers are such a delight to be heard, it’s a shame she doesn’t have more of them in the show! ‘Hold On’ is especially strong and I hung on to every word of the song thanks to Smith’s expressive voice.

When exploring outside the manor, Mary discovers a walled garden with seemingly no way in. She meets Ben Weatherstaff (Martin Bell), the gardener, who tells her the garden belonged to Lily and has been locked since her death. Bell brings wonderful humour and heart to the role, showing Weatherstaff to be a truly kind and good man.

Next she meets Martha’s brother Dickon (Simon Butler) who is can seemingly communicate with a robin (Katherine Ardley). He guides Mary to discovering more about the secret garden.

Butler is pure joy as Dickon. He clearly enjoyed every moment of being on stage, and I couldn’t stop smiling during his and King’s performance of ‘Wick’. The lyrics of the song are already wonderful, but their performance of it was a highlight of the show.

Mary later discovers the source of the crying is her secret cousin Colin Craven (Edward Lander) who is bed bound. Lander and King have lovely chemistry and their songs together are angelic. For the production I am reviewing Colin was played by Lander, though he is sharing the role with Harry Woodward.

At two-and-a-half hours (including interval), this is not a short show, but Whelan-Newby’s direction delivers a perfectly paced show in which every character is given space to develop whilst also keeping forward momentum. The scenes in which the chorus of ghosts sing and dance have ethereal mood thanks to both his direction and Caroline Walsh’s choreography.

The haunted feel of the house is enhanced by Gem Greaves’ multi-level design with alcoves offering spaces for the ghosts to appear and disappear.

At its heart, this show is about how kindness can help those who are grieving. It is an utterly delightful show and a must see. It is playing at The Little Theatre in Leicester until 6 April.