Your character Lily is such a haunting presence in the story. How did you approach portraying a character like this and where have you drawn your influences to develop your portrayal of her?
In actor-musician productions you tend to be on stage all the time, which works beautifully for a ghost of course. Lily’s music also does a lot of the work. She sings much higher than most of the other characters, and in my case she plays the cello, which is a naturally melancholy instrument. She has a slower pace than everyone else on stage as well. At first, this felt very unnatural, but now it feels wrong if she speeds up even the tiniest amount. I find the lyrics of the song ‘I heard someone crying’ an interesting clue to Lily’s experience as if she can hear someone crying but can’t tell who it is. I think it suggests that she doesn’t have a clear vision of what is happening in the house, so when she wanders around the stage I like to hone in on the musical instruments as though she has a heightened awareness of sounds.
Is there a particular song in the show that you find especially challenging or particularly meaningful to perform?
The biggest challenges for me are playing and singing at the same time. You have to find exactly the right spot on the cello for each note and listen carefully in order to play in tune, which is very hard when you’re also singing and expressing the lyrics: your brain doesn’t know what to focus on. The hardest example of that is ‘How could I ever know’, Lily’s song to Archibald right at the end of the show. As well as the challenge of the simultaneous singing and playing, we are leaning into the exasperation in the lyrics: she’s asking him how she could possibly have known she was going to die. It’s tempting to just focus on the beauty and sadness of the music, but John rightly points out that it’s not a straightforward love song.
What has it been like working with John Doyle in the rehearsal room and seeing how he collaborates with the cast to shape the production?
This is my third production for John Doyle, so I recognise and admire his approach. He doesn’t come to rehearsals with a clear idea of how he will stage things. Instead, he creates images through where he places his actors, often dictated or inspired by the music we’re playing, and then he works out which images best tell the story. Often he creates something very literal at the beginning of the rehearsal process then gradually strips elements away so that the staging becomes more abstract, but the focus of the story is clear.
This production of The Secret Garden features a cast of actor-musicians. How do you think that approach has helped bring the show to life or added something new to the story?
I love actor-musician work. There is something about playing music together that creates a really beautiful bond within a cast – we’re all equal, each taking turns to play for each other, and listening to each other. It also necessitates a non-naturalistic approach to the staging (you can’t be naturalistic if an actor constantly has a cello in their hand!), which brings a unique quality to each production. Sometimes even the basic practicalities, such as someone having to cross the stage to put down a flute and pick up a clarinet creates something interesting. Also actually seeing the music being played (rather than having it hidden in an orchestra pit) really draws everyone’s attention to the music, which has been beautifully arranged by Cathy Jayes. It’s like seeing a musical come to life in front of your eyes, or a story being brought to life for and around Mary.
The Secret Garden the Musical deals with difficult topics like grief, healing and hope. How do you think audiences will connect with these and has that been difficult to explore in the rehearsal process?
Young people are likely to follow the story of Mary – the proud angry girl who becomes passionate about unlocking the garden and helping her uncle and cousin. However, the adults may connect more with Archie’s story: the way his grief is overpowering him and preventing him from being a father to Colin.
Finally, what do you hope audiences will take away from watching this musical?
I hope they will feel moved and uplifted. It’s undeniably sad that nothing can bring Lily back, but the garden represents hope and new life.
The Secret Garden the Musical plays at York Theatre Royal from 17 March to 04 April.
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