Catch ‘Ghost – The Musical’ over the next few days if you can. This excellent production is playing at the Churchill Theatre until Saturday.
The 1990 film is a timeless classic that wins over every generation of viewers. The mixture of ages in the auditorium last night was testament to its near universal appeal. This production, which tells the story of the film with additional songs composed by the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, captures the magic of the movie while successfully turning it into a moving and spectacular stage show.
Molly Jenson (Rebekah Lowings) is an aspiring ceramics artist who has just bought her first apartment in Brooklyn with her boyfriend Sam Wheat (Josh St. Clair). He has a steady job in the financial sector and his colleague Carl (James Mateo-Salt) is always there to lend the couple moral support. It seems that everything is going their way until one night, Sam is mugged at gunpoint and a shot rings out. He is killed instantly, though his ghost takes a little time to work that out. He wanders in the world of the living, unable to touch anything or speak to them. A chance meeting with a psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Jacqui Dubois) throws him a lifeline to communicate with the living, whilst he learns some neat skills from a subway ghost (Garry Lee), who has a few poltergeist tricks up his sleeve. Whilst Molly mourns him, Sam uncovers the truth about his death and sets out to warn her as danger approaches.
The film ‘Ghost’ was a great success because of its cracking script that is both funny and touching, and the story about facing grief hits you in the feels. It indirectly borrows from ‘Hamlet’ through its themes of crafty murder, revenge and warnings from beyond the grave. Perhaps appropriately, the parallels to that great tragedy (you can't go wrong when you take your inspirations from the classics) are more obvious on stage than on film.
The show makes the most of the relatively small cast and provides moments for every actor to shine. It’s never a given for a stage musical based on a film that it will have decent songs, but ‘Ghost – The Musical’ is blessed with its share of memorable numbers. A standout moment is ‘With You’ that Rebekah Lowings sings from the heart, and which had us sobbing even before the interval. I enjoyed the witty, Cole Porter-like couplets of ‘You Gotta Let Go Now’ (terrifically performed by Tim Maxwell-Clarke). The company singing ‘Suspend My Disbelief/I Had a Life’ is a sensational way to bring the curtain down on the first act. Lovers of the Righteous Brothers’ 1965 hit ‘Unchained Melody’, which became a hit again after its use in the movie, get to hear it sung and reprised. Nothing beats the experience of live performance, and experiencing these songs brought to life by talented singers and a live orchestra is a joy.
The core performances are solid. Rebekah Lowings is especially deserving of praise as Molly. She conveys a rollercoaster of emotions with great poignancy and skill, and is never less than completely convincing. The stage lights up every time Jacqui Dubois steps onto it. Her performance as Oda Mae Brown is delightful, and her exquisite comic timing is put to great effect. She always gets the laugh but never strays from the integrity of the character. Josh St. Clair is dependable as Sam, though he steps it up a gear in the second act and really comes into his own. It may be that in the first act he’s conveying a sense of detachment from the reality of his character’s death and removal from the life of his loved one, but this doesn’t fully come across. His path to saving Molly and bringing his killer to justice in the second act plays closer to his strengths.
If you love the film, there’s a strong chance you’ll love ‘Ghost – The Musical’. Oda Mae’s iconic line (you know the one!) makes it into the script, which will delight fans. But the musical has more than enough originality to offer plenty for theatre fans to enjoy. The show packs an emotional punch and had EF’s reviews sobbing either side of the interval. It isn’t quite perfect. One or two musical interludes add little to the plot but are nevertheless fun to include (notably ‘I’m Outta Here’), and the pacing in the second act is better. But quibbles are minor. Overall, ‘Ghost – The Musical’ held us spellbound and gave us one of the best nights at the theatre we’ve enjoyed in some time. The visual effects are impressive too, and they marry well with innovative lighting and sound effects that cleverly differentiate the realms of the living and the dead. All in all, a brilliantly well-put-together piece of theatre. Catch it if you can.
Cast: Rebekah Lowings, Josh St. Clair, Jacqui Dubois, James Mateo-Salt, Jules Brown, Garry Lee Writers: Bruce Joel Rubin, Dave Stewart & Glen Ballard Director: Bob Tomson Theatre: The Churchill, Bromley Running time: 160 mins Performance dates: 22nd-25th January 2025 Book ‘Ghost – The Musical'
