Read and discuss the books that inspired Broadway musicals, enriching understanding and enjoyment of both!
The Secret Garden is a coming of age novel by by Frances Hodgson Burnett published in 1911. It follows Mary, a girl born to wealthy and uninvolved parents in British India, who moves into her uncle's dreary estate in England after her parents die in a cholera outbreak. There she learns of a secret, locked garden on the estate and endeavors to find it. Along the way she befriends the denizens of the manor who become happier as the secret garden blooms. It has been adapted to film several times, most famously in 1993.
While there have a been a few musical adaptations of The Secret Garden, the version that made it to Broadway in 1991 is what we will be discussing, with music by Lucy Simon and book by Marsha Norman. It was nominated for seven Tony awards and won for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
We typically meet the fourth Thursday of the month at the Northeast Neighborhood Library at 6:30pm in the Mezzanine Conference Room. This month, we will meet March 28, 2024. Please click "Register" or email Jeff at jeffrey.gluckman@dc.gov if you are planning to attend!
Books are available on display at the Northeast Library or can placed on hold through our catalog.
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