Show Synopsis:
Mary Lennox, a ten-year-old orphan, leaves India to live with her Uncle Archibald in England after her parents die. Although she is initially upset and disagreeable about the change, she begins to make friends around her uncle's manor. She eventually learns about a hidden garden that belonged to her deceased Aunt Lily, and when she finds it, she begins to cultivate it and bring it back to health. Mary also begins to help her crippled cousin Colin learn to walk. Meanwhile Archibald, who is accustomed to being melancholy and withdrawn with his memories of Lily, is bemused at the changes in the house since Mary's arrival. His brother Neville attempts to send both him and Mary away in attempts to control the property himself, but Mary is able to bring herself, Archibald, and Colin back together to begin life as a family.
Character:
Martha, a young woman who works as a servant in Archibald Craven's manor; optimistic; cares for Mary and tries to guide her towards happiness; speaks with a Cockney accent.
Song Context:
Neville is threatening to send Mary away to boarding school while her uncle is out of town. Mary does not want to leave the manor or her garden, and she strongly suspects that if she leaves, Neville will fail to care for Colin so that he will die and Neville can take over the manor himself. Martha consoles her and tries to convince her to keep her spirits up.
Fun Facts:
1) The original Frances Hodgson Burnett children's novel The Secret Garden focuses much more closely on Mary's personal journey and interactions with people closer to her age than the viewpoints and actions of the adults at the manor. In the musical adaptation, scenes and songs like this one showed how the adults around Mary were affected by her relationship with the garden and with Colin, making the production accessible for more mature audiences.
2) Daisy Eagan was eleven years old when she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Mary Lennox. She currently holds the record of being the youngest female to ever win a competitive Tony Award.
3) The character of Martha was originated on Broadway by Alison Fraser, and she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance. She lost to her co-star Daisy Eagan.
"What you've got to do is
Finish what you have begun,
I don't know just how,
But it's not over 'til you've won!
When you see the storm is coming,
See the lightning part the skies,
It's too late to run-
There's terror in your eyes!
What you do then is remember
This old thing you heard me say:
""It's the storm, not you,
That's bound to blow away.""
Hold on,
Hold on to someone standing by.
Hold on.
Don't even ask how long or why!
Child, hold on to what you know is true,
Hold on 'til you get through.
Child, oh child!
Hold on!
When you feel your heart is poundin',
Fear a devil's at your door.
There's no place to hide-
You're frozen to the floor!
What you do then is you force yourself
To wake up, and you say:
""It's this dream, not me,
that's bound to go away.""
Hold on,
Hold on, the night will soon be by.
Hold on,
Until there's nothing left to try.
Child, hold on, There's angels on their way!
Hold on and hear them say,
""Child, oh child!""
And it doesn't even matter
If the danger and the doom
Come from up above or down below,
Or just come flying
At you from across the room!
When you see a man who's raging,
And he's jealous and he fears
That you've walked through walls
He's hid behind for years.
What you do then is you tell yourself to wait it out
And say it's this day, not me,
That's bound to go away.
Child, oh hold on.
It's this day, not you,
That's bound to go away!"