Where’s the Revival of 'The Secret Garden' We Deserve?

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Every time a new Broadway season gets announced, I hold my breath a little. Between the big splashy revivals and the “we’re bringing this back...again?” moments, I always find myself wondering: is this finally the year The Secret Garden comes home?

And somehow, every year, it’s not.

I don’t get it. The Secret Garden has everything Broadway audiences say they want right now — a sweeping, emotional story, a score that’s genuinely gorgeous, and characters who actually change and grow. It’s a show about grief, about letting go, about finding life again after everything feels lost. In other words, it’s exactly the kind of story people are aching for.

I say all this as someone who owes this show a second chance.

When I was in elementary school, I saw the original Broadway production on a field trip. I was way up in the back row of the balcony, surrounded by equally fidgety kids who didn’t quite grasp the magic unfolding below us. I barely paid attention. I whispered, I wiggled, I probably annoyed everyone in my section. What kills me now is knowing I was sitting there, completely unaware that I was watching Mandy Patinkin and Rebecca Luker live onstage — two icons — and I didn’t appreciate it. I was too young to understand what I was witnessing. But somewhere, that music planted a seed.

Years later, I came back to it with new ears, and the emotional weight of it hit me hard. Suddenly I understood what the show was really about — and I’ve been hoping for a revival ever since. Not just so I can make it up to myself, but because I think it’s time for this story to be rediscovered.

The original 1991 production might not have been a blockbuster, but it built something even better: loyalty. There’s a whole generation of theatre fans who grew up loving this show because it meant something. “Lily’s Eyes,” “Hold On,” “How Could I Ever Know?” — these songs never left. They’re still sung in concert halls, auditions, and cabarets. The score is lush and layered, full of soaring melodies and haunting harmonies that get under your skin. It weaves classical influences with emotional storytelling in a way that feels both grand and deeply intimate. It’s not just beautiful — it’s unforgettable.

There have been a few almosts. A flawless Lincoln Center concert. A gorgeous production at Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C. Some whispers about a Broadway transfer that never quite materialized. But for whatever reason, The Secret Garden always seems to get stuck at the gate.

Meanwhile, we’re on our third or fourth revival of shows that feel a lot less urgent.

What’s frustrating is knowing how stunning a revival could be. Imagine it — a full orchestra letting Lucy Simon’s music soar the way it’s meant to. A set that actually lets the garden bloom in front of our eyes. A cast filled with powerhouse performers — adults and kids — who can bring all that heartbreak and hope to life.

And thematically? This story fits the moment. We’re living in a time when people are still trying to process loss, still looking for a way forward. The Secret Garden offers exactly that — a reminder that even in the darkest places, beauty can break through. We need more theatre that helps us heal. We need more stories that whisper, “Hold on.” This show does that — without gimmicks or cynicism — and that’s rare.

There’s so much there, just waiting. And in a season where audiences have shown up for heartfelt, revivals like Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard, you can’t convince me there wouldn’t be a place for The Secret Garden too.

Maybe next year. Maybe the year after. I’ll keep hoping, because some stories deserve to bloom again — and this one has been buried for far too long.