Review – Ghost the Musical – Theatre Royal Brighton

Taking a blockbuster film to the stage is either a great idea or a huge mistake. On many previous occasions movie magic has quickly turned into stage disaster, but with Ghost the Musical the blockbuster movie has become a beautifully sublime and terrifically moving theatrical masterpiece.

Every part of the familiar story of the relationship between Molly, an artist, and Sam, a high-flying banker is faithfully recreated. They’ve just moved into their dream New York loft and everything seems to be coming together perfectly for the pair when Sam is killed in a botched mugging. He gives up his chance to head straight to heaven and returns as a ghost because he needs to protect Molly who, unknown to her, is in terrible danger. Connecting with Molly is more difficult than he anticipates, until he meets unlikely go-between, the hitherto fake psychic, Oda Mae Brown.

c Matt Martin

Rebekah Lowings and Niall Sheehy play the ill-fated lovers with as much heart, passion and soul as they can muster and their relationship, both pre and post Sam’s sudden death, is totally believable. Lowings delivers her first solo number, With You, so well that the auditorium falls totally silent as we hang on her every word and feel every bit of the character’s pain. Sheehy gives his vocal chords a major workout in the act two number, Teach Me How, raising the roof with no effort at all.

The evil duo of Carl (Sergio Pasquariello) and Willie Lopez (Jules Brown) are both tremendously strong characters. Brown is very easy to dislike from the moment that his mugging of Sam turns to murder but with Pasquariello it takes a lot longer, as he starts out as Sam’s best friend and colleague before his true involvement is revealed and his mask begins to slip.

Sam is not the only ghost to appear in the production with James Earl Adair taking on the sympathetic role of the Hospital Ghost, who tries to help Sam come to terms with his premature demise, and Lovonne Richards as the
Subway Ghost, a troubled and very scary soul.

The other roles in the show are all played well with the whole cast displaying a love for their own characters, and for the production as a whole. They are helped by some slick and quick scene changes with the minimal scenery easily conveying the various New York locations in which the tale is told.

At the same time as the tragic drama is being played out in the most emotional way possible, Jacqui Dubois appears as Oda Mae Brown and lights up the stage with her superb comic timing and wonderful singing voice. She squeezes every ounce of comedy out of Bruce Joel Rubin’s book, blasts through Dave Stewart’s tremendous music and, effortlessly, steals the show.

This production is quite unusual in that lovers of the film will be delighted to see that the show remains as faithful as possible to the movie, but those who haven’t seen the movie (if there are many) will be delighted to see a
stand-alone piece of theatre that tells one of the ultimate love stories in a visually stunning performance that tugs at the heartstrings like few others can.

*****           Five Stars

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