Charming take on a classic

Her fame once saw her greeted by vast crowds wherever she went. In the late Victorian age, Frances Hodgson Burnett was a media star – with a level of recognition beyond that of any other children's author.

These days, the name of this Manchester-born writer might have been eclipsed by JK Rowling in the affections of younger readers.

But the enduring power of her books is delightfully explored in The Secret Garden, West Yorkshire Playhouse's new adaptation of one of her best-known children's tales.

Taking place on the main stage at the Quarry Hill theatre, Ian Brown's production manages to be both big and bold – featuring a huge revolving set – and charmingly traditional.

So while the Victorian flavour of the book remains, in its messages of self-reliance and self-improvement, Garry Lyons' script is far from stodgy. This is a fast, funny, and sometimes spooky tale that spirits the audience into a creaky hall at the edge of the Yorkshire Moors.

The story follows Mary Lennox, the brattish daughter of wealthy parents, who is transported back to England from India after her family is wiped out in a cholera epidemic.

After a pampered upbringing in which she has no need to even learn to dress herself – a personal servant tends to that – Mary's arrival at the vast home of her reclusive uncle is a bit of a shock.

And while there are servants at Misselthwaite Manor, they speak a bewildering language – that of Yorkshire. Furthermore, they don't take keenly to being spoken down to, or explain the ghostly cries that echo down the corridors at nights.

As Mary, Jayne Wisener is all wide eyes and strop at the outset – creating a convincing portrait of a young girl brought to a bewildering new place. And it's her journey into making sense of her surroundings, and the delight at discovering a rambling, secret garden in the grounds, that makes this such an enjoyable experience.

In the supporting roles, Thomas Aldridge is the bumptious Dickon – the young gardening lad who helps Mary explore the gardens and offers friendship.

His performance, alongside that of the more fearsome characters, such as Josie Walker's cold portrayal of the governess, Mrs Medlock, gives the audience a spectrum of goodies and baddies.

It's all big, upfront acting, as you'd expect for a children's production. But there's also some mystery – not least in the sad, reclusive figure of Mary's uncle, Archibald Craven, whose grief at the death of his wife sees him spend much of his time away from the hall.

With a hidden secret in the depths of the house – the source of the ghostly cries – this is a story that sometimes chills like the "wuthering", the winds that blow across the moors.

It's all balanced, however, by some jolly, comic songs – which, believe it or not, includes an ode to the delights of vegetables – backed by an orchestra in the pit.

To convey the child-like atmosphere, the play is staged on an ingenious set – a bit like a giant doll's house in the way the front of the property, can be opened out, or closed, by the cast.

And with a revolving plate around the edge of the wooden set, the actors whisk in and out of scenes like the figures on a cuckoo clock – adding to the charming, if unreal, atmosphere the play casts.

* The Secret Garden is on until Saturday, January 23, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Quarry Hill, Leeds. Performance times vary between 1.30pm, 2pm and 7pm.

Tickets are £14-£29.50, family tickets, £50, call (0113) 2137700