Ghost the Musical

Based on the 90’s classic starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, Ghost the Musical has been brought back from the dead. Premiering in Manchester in 2011 before going to the West End starring Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman, the musical has gone on to be staged across the word from Broadway to Italy to Korea to even a recent staged concert in the Adelphi Theatre.

Despite Bill Kenwright’s production touring on-off across the UK and relying on *slime tutorials* for the London/Broadway show over the last 14 years, it has always managed to pass me – until now that is. Considering how long I’ve hungered for its touch, did this Ghost the Musical feel like an unchained melody?

I was gifted a press ticket in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sam Wheat: Josh St. Clair
Molly Jenson: Rebekah Lowings
Oda Mae Brown: Jacqui DuBois
Carl Brunner: James Mateo-Salt
Willie Lopez: Jules Brown
Hospital Ghost: Tim Maxwell-Martin
Subway Ghost: Garry Lee

Rating: ★★★

What is Ghost the Musical about?

Walking back to their apartment late one night, a tragic encounter sees Sam murdered and his beloved girlfriend Molly alone, in despair and utterly lost. But with the help of phony storefront psychic Oda Mae Brown, Sam, trapped between this world and the next, tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving her from grave danger…

What are my thoughts on Ghost the Musical?

While some movies, especially rom-coms, in my opinion have struggled with being put on the stage, Ghost the Musical manages to find a balance between audiences come in for while addressing its raw themes of love, closure and moving on. Juggling multiple genres from intense thriller to supernatural romance to buddy comedy, Bruce Joel Rubin’s book closely hues to his screenplay by keeping in iconic scenes (including sexiest pottery scene in cinema) and quotes while fitting the stage and modernising it without feeling heavy-handed. The material has all the ingredients to be an emotional rollercoaster of a show, but there are elements of this UK tour that disappointed me.

More often than not, the one thing I’d come back to with Ghost The Musical is Dave Stewart and Glenn Ballard’s music and sweeping orchestrations. It wasn’t until watching the show live though where it hit me that I’d only listen to a few of them. There are bright spots like the tearjerker With You (which left my eyes stinging with tears at press night), I Had A Life and Oda Mae’s rapturous solo I’m Outta Here, the rest of the score feels generic by comparison.

The main element that let me down in this tour is its visuals. Instead of the digital screens and spellbinding illusions in the West End production, Mark Bailey’s set of a New York skyline feels static with no personality nor creativity when contrasting the real world and afterlife Sam gets caught between, and the slow timing of Richard Pinner’s illusions took me out of scenes to the point of ruining their intensity. I hesitate to call it ‘cheap’ as it’s a small-scaled tour, but the difference in quality sticks out, not helped by frequent sound and lighting mistakes at the press performance.

What’s the cast like?

While I feel the visuals are lagging in quality, this Ghost the Musical cast couldn’t be more opposite. Returning from previous productions, Rebekah Lowings’ performance as Molly is easily my highlight of the night. Capturing the raw pain of losing a loved one many can relate to while possessing vocals that gave me chills, she makes her role all her own. The chemistry she shares with Josh St. Clair’s Sam adds to the inherent heartbreak of their romance, who equally shines as he grasps his situation and tries to gain closure and avoid Molly meeting the same fate as him. Even if the cast has to act like they can’t see him, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Also returning for the UK tour is Jacqui DuBois as Oda Mae Brown, who adds needed levity and humour to its dark story often through her reactions while sharing a hilarious rapport with St. Clair (and stunning vocals to Believer and I’m Outta Here). James Mateo-Salt also shines as Carl Brunner, but I wish the writing gave him more depth considering his complexity and villainous nature. Taking over from Les Dennis is Tim Maxwell-Lee as the Hospital Ghost who makes his admittedly out of place number You Gotta Let Go a standout. Garry Lee also leaves an impression as the cantankerous Subway Ghost

What are my overall thoughts?

I often said during The Time Traveller’s Wife’s West End run that it felt like Ghost the Musical’s spiritual successor (no pun intended), and watching it live, it very much stands. I feel like it’s among the better movie to stage adaptations as the book maintains the heavy emotion and themes behind its humour and sensuality. It’s a shame that the visuals for this tour bring it down, but I feel there’s enough in the writing and songs that fans of the film will be sure to enjoy (and cry over).

Ghost the Musical runs at the New Wimbledon Theatre until.