Toms Midnight Garden at the Sheffield Lyceum Review
Tom’s Midnight Garden
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
4-8 February 2014
Reviewed by Becky Linsell
I was lucky enough to see Tom’s Midnight Garden by the Birmingham Stage Company at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, last night. It is currently touring to UK’s theatres.
I have to start by saying that both my eight year old son and I enjoyed it immensely.
Philippa Pearce’s book has been adapted for the stage by David Wood. The stage set is simple but so effective, the lighting is dramatic and together creating the mysterious Midnight Garden around which the story centres.
David Tute (who plays Tom) and Caitlin Thornburn (who plays Hatty) are such likeable characters that lead you through the story, you truly believe their friendship and the fun that they have together. Excellent acting.
The other cast members are equally talented providing also the musical accompaniment, which adds to the suspense and drama throughout the production.
I noticed that the whole show is performed with hardly any props. Testament to the great acting skills and script, they were not required, your imagination could take over.
The audience was predominantly children who sat transfixed all the way through the performance. It is a good stage performance that keeps the children fully entertained until the end of the show, you could see by their faces that they were all waiting to see how the story concluded. I think that this is a good measure of the excellent performance.
I would highly recommend going to see Tom’s Midnight Garden. It is a great performance that will be enjoyed by both adults and children. The book is highly acclaimed and this production does it justice.
Rating: 5/5 
Tom’s Midnight Garden is on stage at the Lyceum Theatre Sheffield Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 February 2014. Tickets are priced £12 -£15. Call the box office on 0114 249 6000 or by visiting www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
