THE GIANT’S GARDEN Continues from Saturday (July 9) at the George Ignatieff. See listing.
Don’t look for saccharine Disney elements in The Giant’s Garden, though it’s a musical set in a magical garden and its characters include ragamuffin orphans and a talking flower and bird.
Peter Fenton and Scott White’s musical finally plays Toronto after losing the lottery for the 2006 Fringe it premiered three years ago at Theatre Orangeville.
The creators’ inspiration was Oscar Wilde’s short story The Selfish Giant, but the piece has morphed substantially since then.
“The poetry’s still there, but we’ve taken the material in a less religious direction than Wilde does,” notes White, the talented composer and musical director who wrote the score for Fringe hit Top Gun! The Musical.
The narrative still involves the demanding Giant and several children, but also central are the characters Summer and Winter, who war over control of the garden.
It’s a big, 12-performer show, including established pros like Paula Wolfson, Michael MacLennan and Laura Caswell, along with some recent theatre school grads.
“The varied score includes off-Broadway-style production numbers, ballads and songs with jazz licks. Bird and Flower are a vaudeville duo.”
Given the characters, is it a show aimed just at young audiences?
“Pete and I think of it as a grown-up musical dressed in children’s clothing,” smiles White.
“The underlying ideas are universal we see the show appealing to all ages. Kids understand the story and enjoy its enchantment and range of songs. Adults, on the other hand, connect with themes of family, home and the importance of love, especially love that’s so strong that it becomes painful.”
At 90 minutes, The Giant’s Garden might be too long for some younger audiences.
“But if they can sit through an animated film of that length, they won’t have any problem with this show.
“In fact, it’s great to see it with an audience of different ages. The grown-ups find the laughs and the kids find the magic.”
