It’s an unusual privilege to be able to visit the real setting of a performance before watching but with “The Pleasure Garden” it would be hard not to. Just around the corner from The “Above The Stag Theatre” you’ll find the famous “Pleasure Gardens” the musical’s title depicts. Now a fairly run of the mill park area, a notice board depicts the elaborate and extraordinary history these Gardens hold. Visiting here before the performance raised my anticipation and interest to find out the intriguing past of this historic treasure chest.
Entering “Above the Stag” gives me the familiar warm atmosphere I always experience when in the LGBTQIA+ theatre. The friendly staff provided the audience with free glossy programmes that gives information furthering the knowledge the park noticeboard had displayed. The programme tells that the history of the area goes back as early as 1600 when the space was known as The New Spring Gardens and had famous visitors including diary keeper Samuel Pepys. In the 18th century, the area reached high popularity, now called the Pleasure Gardens, with its unorthodox classless policy meaning that this really was a place where all areas of life, rich or poor, could mingle. Reading this pre-show heightened my curiosity for what was to come.
When entering the theatre, the set is surprising as it is covered in building fences and construction working signs telling you to “Wear your mask” (An all too familiar notice of 2021). Knowing the history of the Gardens this is not what I expected to see but the musical begins in the present day with two builders finding a locket from the past leading to them pondering where it had originated from. With the words of a wise homeless man (The first of many characters played by the comically versatile Steve Watts), there are clues and suggestions of the past glories of what has now become a building site. The audience is then transported back in time as the fences are removed and fairy lights illuminate to the sound of, “When the lights go on at Vauxhall” to reveal a magical set suggesting the mystique and excitement of the Pleasure Gardens.
Now in Vauxhall 1853, we meet a plethora of intriguing characters giving us a taste of the Pleasure Gardens. From a reluctantly social hermit to a cross-dressing exotic Princess, a spectrum of society can be found here. At the centre of the hubbub, we meet humble gardener Tom Restless, played endearingly by Sam Baumal, who dreams of one day progressing from the Gardens to working in a stately home. Before long Tom is courted by shipping clerk Ralph Pottinger, played with charm by Jay Worley, who aspires to show romance through his attempt at art and poetry.
Tom and Ralph’s burgeoning relationship represents the gay society that secretly thrived in these surroundings. In contrast to this romance the character of the pleasure-loving aristocrat Lord Roger Lovelock, played with suitable menace by Rory-Charlie Campbell, sings about his lust for the young men he finds in the surrounding area. This is depicted with humour in the song “Can a man help being a sod?” that contains the unforgettable line, “Having babies, I’d rather have rabies”. This comes at the grief of his wife, the long-suffering Lady Maude Lovelock. Ashleigh Harvey brings a lot of humour and gumption to this character and really socks it to the audience in the 2nd half when she sings “The Place I left behind”.
The musical suggests that the gardens were a form of escape for people who would have been considered “Social Misfits” of the time. Benjamin Wong’s star performance as Princess Saura steals the show. The wonderfully versatile character is Doctor Watt in the day but by evening becomes Princess Saura, a glamorous “Lady of the Night”. Whilst being his alter ego, the character feels freedom in the comfort of the nightlife of the Gardens. We also meet Captain Antrobus, a lady escaping in the disguise of a commissioned officer of the British army, played with wonderful aplomb by Jennie Jacobs. For both these social outcasts, the Gardens provides a safe space where other characters show a level of acceptance that wouldn’t be expected for the era.
The history of the Pleasure gardens is shown throughout the story giving intriguing insights into this incredible time. From a hot air balloon in the centre of the Gardens that offered views as far as France (On a clear day) to a man hired to make nightingale noises in the trees to please visitors. An impressive big screen behind the stage enhances the experience, taking you from firework celebrations to battle scenes during the Crimean War. The wonderful band sit in front of the screen and look suitably like they’re playing for the 18th-century crowd of The Gardens. Special mention to understudy Jonathan Harlaw who plays various roles throughout the show.
It is so refreshing to watch a musical where a same-sex couple are the centre of the action especially powerful considering the alarming fact that homosexuality was illegal in this period. Equally refreshing was the fact that the characters loved each other without question of it being a forbidden affair, their problems were ones that could have potentially occurred to anyone no matter their sexuality. My favourite song of the show summed up the intriguing past of the Gardens and the characters that dwelled there, “It’s Complicated”, just like the Gardens themselves, there’s more to life than meets the eye. Review by Myles Ryan
Rating: ★★★★
