This was my first time visiting Chester's Storyhouse, a very modern, accessible and spacious building. I found the place well-organised and had various designated areas to eat, drink, read or simply relax. There was a lovely atmosphere throughout Storyhouse, the staff were extremely helpful and enthusiastic about the place, there appeared to be a great vibe regarding the building. Only recently opened over a year ago, the building is a theatre, cinema, library and community hub all within the one building in the centre of Chester.
Ghost, The Musical is based on the 1990 romantic fantasy thriller by Bruce Joel Rubin, who also subsequently wrote the book and lyrics for the show. It's essentially a sad story surrounded by murder, fraud and deceit. However, there was ample supply of comedy via the one-liners.and hilarious chaos that soon followed.
Star-crossed young lovers, Sam (Niall Sheehy) and Molly (Rebekah Lowings) were walking back to their apartment after viewing an art gallery, when there was a tragic encounter as Sam is murdered. As he laid helplessly on the sidewalk, his beloved girlfriend was totally distraught and in shock. Molly was left isolated and in absolute despair and lost without him. With the assistance of a 'fake Medium', Oda Mae Brown (Jacqui Dubois), Sam was trapped between two worlds, the real one and the next one. Subsequently, Sam communicated to Molly through Oda Mae, where he told her she was in grave danger.
The narrative of Ghost, The Musical was very well told and there was an equilibium between tragedy and comedy, which was normally reserved for Shakespeare’s plays. The dialogue created a lot of pathos between all the characters. The American accents were substained throughout the performances. The play did stay mostly true to the book and the film, but a few alterations were made as the show was performed on the stage and set in the modern era now.
Niall Sheehy and Rebekah Lowings were extremely good together, their chemistry was demonstrated so well and felt genuine too. There was a strong supporting cast of characters Carl (Sergio Pasquariello) and Willie Lopez (Jules Brown), both performed brilliantly. Additionally, there was also a strong ensemble of swing and dancers, who were so talented and versatile and the choreography was amazing to see on the stage.
Special mention to Dubois playing Oda Mae, she literally stole the show for me, with her funny one-liners which came thick and fast. Her presence and mannerisms were felt instantly on the stage, the audience absolutely fell in love with her instantly. Additionally, her comedy timing was amazing, had the audience in hysterics all the time.
Bob Thomson directed Ghost, The Musical brilliantly tight,which was inevitably highly effective. Having seen the show myself a few times in the past, there were some notable alterations this time around with the lighting, sound and general direction of the play. He added so many beautiful touches to the show, which enhanced the production so much. The choregrapher, Alistair David did an amazing job getting the choreography right, considering there was a large cast involved in the musical.
The sound was absolutely brilliant throughout the performance as everything could be heard, especially all the sound effects involved. Even the music sounded really great as well. The lighting played an incredible part in this production as the play shifted from light to dark and contrasted so well with the tragedy and comedy too.
Essentially, the lighting and sound made the SFX work so well together. The SFX were limited, but as this was a stage show, there was only so much you can possibly do in a theatre. The SFX which were utilised proved effective and conveyed some fantastic tension amongst some characters. The visuals and graphics used in the background were spellbinding and very noticeable from the onset. The lighting, sound and SFX all incorporated an array of moods and emotions.
The set design of the apartment was very good and you could identify that a young professional couple lived there with all their art collection and antiques. Having a pottery machine on stage could have been a nightmare, but it added to the realism of the narrative and stayed true to the iconic scene of the show. A lot of attention to detail was conveyed in the apartment. Although, the set was extensive, there were several locations utilised throughout the production. Costumes were also good, I especially liked Oda Mae's nice dress.
Unchained Melody has been covered so many times by different artists over the years, but still fondly remembered in Ghost. It’s such a timeless classic that everyone knows the words off by heart. My favourite song of Ghost though was 'Suspend My Disbelief'. 'I Had A Life' was a highly emotional piece that inevitably encapsulated the narrative as a whole. Another two good songs were 'Nothing Stops Another Day' and 'I Can’t Take It Anymore' that showcased Sheehy and Lowings’ voices so well on their own. The chemistry of the characters and their shared harmonies of songs was amazing to watch. I was vastly impressed with the array of the songs that accompany all the various moods and emotions demonstration in the musical.
Oda Mae added her comedy even into her songs, plus her songs sounded gospel. The songs were original, fresh and catchy. The cast did an excellent job displaying their emotions, whilst singing a particular song, then staying in character. There were a few instruments played for certain songs during the show like the guitars, drums, bass, violin and cello. Essentially, having these instruments played for the songs added realism and highly enhanced the sound quality of the songs. Overall, all the songs displayed a particular element, which conveyed all emotions such as sadness and tragedy all rolled into one.
I would highly recommend Ghost, The Musical as I thoroughly enjoyed the show immensely as it was entertaining and kept the audience engaged at all times. The extreme high production values were displayed throughout the show through the set design, props, choreography and SFX. Ghost was an absolute pleasure to review.
Reviewer - Mark Cooper
on - 5/2/19
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