'Ghost' was of course, one of the biggest film hits of the 1990s and this show follows in a recent trend of turning popular Hollywood movies into stage musicals with notable examples including 'Sister Act' and 'Shrek' amongst many others. At first glance it may seem like a relatively easy 'jumping off a bandwagon' to make money but 'Ghost' the musical is definitely proof that each of these adaptations deserves to be judged on its own merits. This is definitely a bona-fide musical, following the film closely with some interesting innovations.
First of all, the music is first class. With the songs written by an interesting collaboration of British '80’s hit-maker Dave Stewart with American Glen Ballard who worked a lot with Michael Jackson, there are traces of the Eurythmics sound (just as the Abba influence is evident in the musical Chess). The overall feel however is much more akin to the likes of a Lloyd-Webber rock opera with Ballard clearly having had just as much input. The songs are powerful and feisty but just as importantly they are well blended into the story, often with songs interspersed dialogue breaks or even one actor singing whilst another is speaking. This works really well in 'Ghost', where not infrequently, one of the characters is a ghost who cannot be heard by most of the living.
What really makes 'Ghost' work on stage is the brilliant use of multi-media, using interchangeably giant video screens both in front of and behind the actors. To say too much about this would be to give away spoilers but the subway scene in particular is astonishing and with aid of props, it is remarkable how effectively varied New York scenes are quickly created, be it a Greenwich Village café, a high-rise apartment or a bank.
Another big feature of this show is the vibrant dance ensemble. The pace is well maintained having frequent short scenes, such as in a lift or an office, interchanged with the dancers coming on and off stage, helping give a cinematic quality to the performance. With plenty of high kicks and jumping on and off chairs, all the hallmarks of big stage musical here with the dancers used extensively to help progress the story in a wide range of background characters.
It is inevitable with any film synonymous with big Hollywood names that comparisons are made when there is a stage adaptation, but more importantly, the cast in this show jelled. There is real chemistry between Michael Markey as Sam and Helena Hunter as Molly and Jonny Landels brings over the two-faced villainy of Carl with George North suitably cold as the thuggish Willie. It was notable during the curtain calls that the audience cheered enthusiastically but almost went quiet when Landels or North walked on stage; a real credit to both actors that the evil of their characters had touched the audience. The biggest surprise was Aimee Good as Oda Mae Brown. Whoopy Goldberg made such a powerful impression in the film that it might have seemed that the character could be diminished by having a white actor but Good excels in giving a slightly different but just as quirky take on the part and it works, both in the comedy scenes with Sam and the bonding with Molly.
'Ghost' the musical took the three key elements of the film, romance, thriller and comedy and blended this with music and dance to create a thoroughly enjoyable and very memorable show. Credit must be given to Diva Productions for using just local talent to give both the look and feel of a big West End touring show.
Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 28.4.23
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