The Secret Garden

When Mary Lennox is orphaned by a cholera outbreak in India, she is sent to England to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven. Her new home is Misselthwaite Manor, a great estate on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. She meets Mrs. Medlock, the stern housekeeper; Martha, the sympathetic housemaid; Ben Weatherstaff, the gruff gardener; Dickon, who knows the secrets of nature; Mr. Craven, who grieves for his deceased wife; and Colin, who has refused to go outside for ten years because he believes he is an invalid.

Mary's first friend in her unfamiliar surroundings is a robin who leads her to a walled garden that has been locked and forgotten. As she begins to unlock the secrets of Misselthwaite Manor--a mysterious crying that she determines is not the wuthering of the wind off the moors, and the abandoned garden that seems to have no way into it--Mary blossoms from a spoiled and listless child into a girl full of caring and hope. As the long-neglected garden awakes, Misselthwaite Manor is touched by its power; and strength and affection are awakened in Mary and her new friends.

"With the best that was in me
I have tried to write more happiness into the world."
--Frances Hodgson Burnett

This production marks a departure from Roberts Marionettes'
customary performance style: these puppets have no strings.
"The Secret Garden" features an original blending of a
modified bunraku style of puppetry and theatrical storytelling.
The puppeteer is visible as she operates the puppet actors,
often joining them as one of the adult characters to act out the story.

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