đ Ghost The Musical
đ Princess Theatre, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 5EZ              Â
đ Tuesday 15th October 2024
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POWERFUL AND BRILLIANT
GHOST THE MUSICAL has spirited its way into Torbay this week, playing until Saturday at Torquay's Princess Theatre. Being a fan of the 1990 movie on which the musical is based, I have wanted to see this show for a long time so was glad to finally be able to watch it.
The musical follows the same basic storyline as the movie, with clever artistic licence used to make changes to ensure the story fits on the stage. As film to stage adaptations go, this is a pretty good one. It manages to capture all the main elements and deliver a cohesive storyline, even with the edits and changes made.
The film and its stars are iconic, so taking on these roles must be somewhat daunting for the cast members. Josh St. Clair however quickly erases any thought of Patrick Swayze as he portrays Sam Wheat with utter warmth and feeling. I enjoyed the playfulness he brought to the character and I completely bought into his despair and feeling of helplessness.
Rebekah Lowings gave a great performance as Molly Jenson. Her vocals were pure and angelic with her renditions of With You and Nothing Stops Another Day being utterly sublime. She never over sang and delivered exceptional performances.
The standout performance of the evening though came from Jacqui DuBois. As eccentric clairvoyant Oda Mae Brown she immediately lifted the entire production to a whole new level as soon as she appeared. She completely made the role her own - as if it had been written especially for her. Her comedic timing was absolute perfection and she had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. She gave what can only be described as a powerhouse performance and she just emitted utter joy from the stage. It's a real privilege to witness talent like hers. Her performance alone is worth the ticket price.
The entire company were brilliant. At this performance the role of Carl Brunner was portrayed by Jamie Pritchard who was delightfully unlikeable, even getting booed during the curtain call! Tanisha Butterfield and Keiahna Jackson-Jones perfectly complemented Jacqui BuBois and were deliciously funny as Clara and Louise.
It's always a real pleasure to see Les Dennis perform in a musical and he brought his trademark likability to his performance here. Only two relatively small roles, one in each act, his wit and charm delight.
The show takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and the connection between Sam and Molly seems to get stronger as the story goes on, culminating in a highly emotional finale that leaves the audience either dumbstruck, in floods of tears, or both!
Overall I absolutely loved GHOST THE MUSICAL. The reason for four stars rather than five is because I feel the show was slightly let down by the production values. Elements of the set and lighting felt cheap and I think that some of the effects were a bit lacklustre. Some parts of the show felt rushed, and knowing the soundtrack, I was surprised to find that some of the songs were inexplicably missing entire verses!
That being said I would book another ticket without hesitation. The show has a strong story and a phenomenal cast so its really a no brainer. If you only see one screen to stage adaptation this year then this is the one to see.
GHOST THE MUSICAL continues performances at the Princess Theatre until Saturday 19th October, Click here to check availability and to book tickets.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer. Â
My ticket for this performance of Ghost The Musical was gifted by the Princess Theatre who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
CAST AT THIS PERFORMANCE:
Rebekah Lowings as Molly Jenson; Josh St. Clair as Sam Wheat; Jacqui DuBois as Oda Mae Brown; Jamie Pritchard as Carl Brunner; Les Dennis as Hospital Ghost / Lionel Ferguson; Jules Brown as Willie Lopez; Garry Lee as Subway Ghost; Keiahna Jackson-Jones as Louise; Tanisha Butterfield as Clara; Gabrielle Cummins as Officer Wallace; Molly Cleere as Mrs Santiago / Bank Officer; Wade Lewin as Orlando; Olivia-Rose Deer as Susan / Ortisha / Ensemble; Joe Readman as Detective Biederman / Ensemble
RUNNING TIME (approx):
2 hours 20 minutes, including interval
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Themes of loss; Death: Murder and attempted murder
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