Book, Music and Lyrics: Carleigh McRitchie and Bella Wright
Director: Tara Noonan
The Gardening Club, written by Carleigh McRitchie and Bella Wright during their final year at university, is built on a compelling concept. Set in 1960s America, it follows five young women who form a “gardening club” as a front for distributing illegal birth-control pills to unmarried women. The narrative is fictional, though inspired by the struggles many faced in accessing contraception at the time.
The promise of the premise, however, doesn’t translate successfully to the stage. The book contains several noticeable gaps, and the dialogue is so on-the-nose that it leaves the audience with little room to interpret. The male characters, in particular, are drawn as thin, tired stereotypes. There is an increasing trend in new writing to equate strong female representation with weak male characterisation; the two are not mutually dependent, and the imbalance here undermines the show.
Technically, the production falters further. The backing track frequently overwhelms the vocals, rendering large stretches of lyrics indecipherable — an issue highlighted by reviewers in previous runs, yet still unresolved. Lighting choices also leave performers in shadow for extended periods.
Musically, the score contains some attractive motifs, but overall lacks the dynamism needed to elevate the storytelling. Several vocal lines sit uncomfortably low for the female cast, suggesting a compositional rather than casting issue. The result is a score that often feels restrained when it needs lift, and heavy when it needs clarity.
The cast commits fully to the material. Olivia Taylor Quinn and Hannah Greensmith, as Betty Collins and Sheila Watson, stand out, helped by the fact that their characters are the most coherently written. Their performances suggest that, with a stronger book and more precise direction, the show might find the tonal and emotional grounding it currently lacks.
With substantial rewriting and a more intimate staging, The Gardening Club could fare better in a small studio space. However, in its current form, it sits uncomfortably on the main stage at the New Wimbledon Theatre. Several audience members do not return after the interval, and it is difficult to fault their decision.
Reviewed on 13 November 2025
