The play that continues haunting the West End (and soon Australia and across of the UK), 2:22 A Ghost Story is now in its fifth home at the Apollo Theatre which I was kindly invited to review. I’ve already expressed my thoughts on the show in my review of the Lyric Theatre transfer in February (read my thoughts and recap here), so this is going to focus on how I felt the new cast fared and if there were any other details I missed from my last time. Because as I know from my third visit, there’s something new to learn each time you visit 2:22 A Ghost Story.
2:22 A Ghost Story
Cast
- Jenny: Jaime Winstone
- Sam: Clifford Samuel
- Lauren: Sophia Bush
- Ben: Ricky Champ
Rating: ★★★★★
What are my thoughts on 2:22 A Ghost Story?
Watching 2:22 A Ghost Story for the third time might feel tedious by now to some people, but I feel there’s a reason why you should keep coming back to it. Still featuring Danny Robin’s ever amazing script that made me catch even more clues I previously missed, director Matthew Dunster has managed to find that right balance of scary and funny, whereas I felt previous versions leaned into one tone and stuck with it.
While I thought I would be desensitised to the scares by now, what I appreciated this time was the little creative aspects that added to the atmosphere and themes. Things like Ian Dickinson’s spine-tingling sound design with strings creeping in during seemingly meaningless conversations, Chris Fisher’s simple yet effective illusions (from where I was sat I figured out how they did one certain trick I dare not spoil), and Anna Fleische’s thought provoking set design as 70’s era wallpaper and a worn out table is slowly replaced with cold modern walls and Ikea furniture.
What’s the cast like?
The biggest appeal of 2:22 A Ghost Story, besides its twist, has always been its stunt casting. I’ve honestly never minded seeing a bunch of celebrities and veteran performers together as I appreciate seeing different interpretations of these, let’s be honest, unchallenging roles. While the Apollo Theatre transfer isn’t quite as star-studded as the other venues, this cast is possibly my favourite so far.
Jaime Winstone (Babs) gives a phenomenal leading performance and proves she can hold her own as Jenny. Offering such a naturalistic take that makes the audience empathise with her as an exhausted mother, Winstone chooses a select number of moments to raise her voice that made such an impact. Especially effective towards the end as the giant red ticking clock makes her grow more paranoid, this was such an authentic and captivating take I can’t praise enough.
A much bigger improvement I felt in this production of 2:22 A Ghost Story was Clifford Samuel (Gone: The Windrush Chronicles) as Sam. Unlike previous versions where I felt the actor was directed to be too serious or obnoxious to the point his presence would dampen the mood, Samuel’s performance proved that a line delivery can completely change his characterisation. Instead of being a killjoy, he makes Sam a more charming character who highlights his cynicism and condescending nature with a jokey and sarcastic tone and over the top gestures before his vulnerability falls through. In other words, I understood Jenny’s attraction to him this time.
The most intriguing, and most famous, cast member for me was Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) as Lauren, pivoting from the wild messy drunk I’m more familiar with. Still having her fun moments letting her hair down, Bush’s Lauren feels like a “cool American woman” who exudes charm while the ghost hunting reveals her existential struggles and true feelings for Sam.
Going from one Eastenders star to another, Ricky Champ was honestly a perfect choice as Ben. With pitch perfect comedic timing and seamlessly switching personalities depending who he was talking to, he really played well with the rest of the cast. Honestly, Jake Wood has some heavy competition for the funniest take as Champ was able to make the audience laugh at moments that weren’t supposed to be humorous.
What are my overall thoughts?
I gave the Lyric Theatre transfer of 2:22 A Ghost Story four stars mainly due to some directorial and acting choices that prevented it from being perfect in my eyes. The Apollo Theatre transfer has managed to elevate the material thanks to its phenomenal four-piece cast while keeping it as spooky and funny as ever. Definitely watch it as soon as you can, and any of the future West End transfers that will inevitably happen.
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