This was my first time seeing Ghost: The Musical, and so all I had to compare it with was the original 1990 film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. There have been mixed reviews about the musical over the years and social media seems to think it has ‘lost its loving feeling’, but I’m a firm believer in trusting a show if its longevity tells its own story. Ghost was originally made into a Musical production, premiering in Manchester in 2011, transferring to the West End later that year, spending time on Broadway, touring Europe and the UK several times and is now back on home turf for a short spell until Saturday, 20th April. How can a show with that many credits be anything but a crowd pleaser? I watched the production on it’s opening night and I have to say it was fantastic. It was one of the best and most slick opening nights I have seen in a long time.
A hybrid of romantic fantasy thriller, this was the tale of Sam and his girlfriend Molly; two young, up-and-coming New Yorkers embarking on their happy life in their new loft apartment, until Sam is tragically killed early on in the story. Sam’s soul remains on earth to protect the lovely Molly and discover the truth about his own demise. The film is utterly entertaining and has so many elements of good storytelling, I wondered how this would transfer onto the stage and into the musical theatre genre?
Unlike many musicals, the opening is spoken and it took a while to ‘warm up’ the stage, but with original music and lyrics by Dave Stuart and Glen Ballard, this musical got better and better with each number. As soon as protagonists Rebekah Lowings (Molly) and Niall Sheehy (Sam) open their mouths to sing, you just felt you were in very safe hands. Their connection as a couple was entirely believable in both life and death, and the quality of their acting never suffered with the musical genre.
One of my favourite roles in the stage production was the comic relief of Oda Mae Brown. Whoopi Goldberg, made this role famous in the movie and was a tough act to follow, but Jacqui Dubois did it perfectly. With brilliant comic timing, hilarious reactions and a fantastic voice, Dubois was utterly entertaining from start to finish and brought the light-hearted humour that prevented this story from just being a tear jerker.
Bill Kenwright’s production did not falter from beginning to end. I often feel that Manchester tours are a ‘watered down’ version of West End productions, especially when they have such a short run as this. However, the design of Ghost had a ‘wow factor’ that all big musicals should have and makes a regional theatre goer feel they have got their money’s worth. The set design concept successfully created the imposing New York Tower blocks and the mechanical movement of the set from the wings and those flown in, created a sense of pace which really held the whole production together seamlessly. There were some really clever lighting and gauze effects which stunned the audience along with the stagecraft of the ensemble movement to create some wonderful magical effects on stage. I was shocked by the sheer scope of a touring production on such a short run.
The sound design isn’t something I usually notice either and yet with this production, it was one of the many brilliantly engaging elements, with evocative sound effects bridging the characters between life and death. Effects such as the transparency of the human form in the after-life were enhanced by the sound effects and it was all totally believable, causing me to completely ‘suspend my disbelief’. The echoed voices of the characters were also subtle yet powerful signifiers which effectively revealed the difference between the living and the dead on stage. There were just so many clever design concepts and illusions on stage that I was often left dumbfounded by the production.
Considering the size of this production, the ensemble was relatively small, with around ten performers. However, the sheer scope of their movement and the sound they created was wonderful. The harmonies of the music, especially in the final numbers before the end of the first act, were beautifully executed and had a sense of musical theatre meets Gospel. But it was Alistair David’s captivating choreography of the ensemble which had me engrossed. The sharp and smooth transitions, inspired by more avant-garde contemporary dance styles, reminded me that musical theatre choreography is evolving from more traditional and elite dance styles into contemporary dance, pushing the aesthetics of mainstream musical theatre, as well as the boundaries of audience tastes.
Although the opening night of Ghost wasn’t a sell-out, it was packed enough to feel the atmosphere from the auditorium at the end when the audience jumped to their feet in a rapturous standing ovation. This was well deserved in my eyes and I cannot recommend enough that you go and see this wonderful show. There are so many aspects which just fit and make this a fantastic piece of contemporary musical theatre.
Reviewer - Johanna Hassouna-Smith
on - 16/4/19
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