Stage show of Ghost lives up every bit to the famous film
GHOST REVIEW - PRINCESS THEATRE, TORQUAY
****
It is not an easy feat to create a stage musical from a film so famous for its special effects and iconic cast. There is a lot to live up to in terms of the audiences’ expectations and without the multi-million-pound technical budget of film, theatre must find a way to match those expectations and not disappoint. Creativity and imagination are key, and this production manages to capture most of the important moments with some original staging and impressive lighting, using suggestion and illusion most effectively to achieve this end.
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Rebekah Lowings portrayal of Molly is touching in its sincerity and powerful in its emotional depth. Whilst Jacqui Dubois fully owns the character of Oda Mae Brown, the con-artist medium who pretends to talk to the dead, bringing delightful comic timing and natural stage presence to the role. Josh St. Clair brings a boyish charm to Sam whilst he is “alive”, with the most notable thing about his performance being his vocal range and quality.
The ensemble pieces show off the powerful vocal talent of the rest of the cast too, and each actor was on point vocally, creating some beautiful harmonies which brought Dave Stewart’s music and lyrics to life.
Most people will remember the film for its iconic song “Unchained Melody”. I always remember the theatrical production for the song “With You” which surely is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It is done full justice here by Rebekah Lowings who manages to simultaneously bring love, passion, longing and heartbreak to each line in a mesmerising performance of the song.
This production contains individual moments of five-star performance but not everything works so well. The choreography felt like scene infill rather than adding anything to the plotline, and the ensemble moves verged on lazy and felt like a missed opportunity to add another dimension to the show. And I said this when I reviewed the show back in 2017 and I feel the need to say it again – why does Sam spend most of his stage time staggering around looking like he has had one too many? Some tighter direction during his afterlife scenes would have enhanced his performance enormously and it would certainly have improved my emotional engagement with his character. Anger, fear and confusion can be conveyed just as effectively with moments of stillness, as it can with mayhem.
A special mention should go to the technical team who created an innovative set that glided across the stage with ease, effortlessly moving the action from one scene to the next. And Nick Richings’ lighting design was perfectly pitched to create atmosphere and illusion without overwhelming the scenes.
Ghost is well worth a visit, especially if you have never seen it before. There is a lot of fun to be seen here, along with a huge amount of talent to entertain you.
Ghost the Musical runs at the Princess Theatre, Torquay until Saturday 19 October
SARAH O’CONNOR