Ghost

With the sands of time running out quickly as I headed towards my retirement from the post of NODA Regional Representative 4 North … the only thing keeping me going was the 27 productions that RATz have scheduled between now and Christmas. Maybe a slight exaggeration - but only slight! I was in something of a minority as I stood, ‘Sober for October’, in the bar area of the wonderful Angles Theatre, Wisbech, nursing a Diet Coke (other unpleasant fizzy drinks are available) as I seemed to be the only person who had seen neither a professional or amateur production of this title. I like it best when I see a show for the first time. No baggage, either positive or negative, makes things so much more enjoyable, at least for me. And so, after a quick chat to a few acquaintances, it was seat G5 and Bruce Joel Rubin, Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard’s Ghost. I may have been a newbie as far as the stage musical goes, but like everyone of my age (late 20’s) I was very familiar with the film of vintage 1990 starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopie Goldberg. A good story done well and extremely enjoyable as I remembered it. A tour de force for that era. I am pleased to say the musical followed the same story and nodding in appreciation towards the source material at all the appropriate points along the ride. Sam Wheat is a Wall Street banker and has moved into a nice loft apartment with his girlfriend Molly. Best friend Carl Bruner is always on hand and life seems idyllic. That is until a bungled mugging leave Sam dead, but stuck between life and afterlife. After uncovering the facts behind his demise, he realises that Carl is not such a good friend after all and enlists the help of pseudo-psychic Oda Mae Brown to right the wrongs. It all ends happily, at least as happily as it can do considering he is dead! The set (Phil Griggs, Gary Johnson and Sir Bob Ledger) was just perfect. A simple brick effect for the loft and a video screen centre/back to show any other places. Just enough, and not a jot more. Sound, lighting and video (design and operation by Rob Williams of course) were stunning. The vocal was perfectly balanced with the band and it was all crystal clear with no uninvited pops whistles or bangs. Costumes (Lenner Mockford and Dame Kerry Shippey) were contemporary but bang on the money. Putting Eden Carver in dungarees was inspirational as it made her demure not sexy… and unbearably cute. Hair and makeup (that Shippey woman again) were all great as were incidental props (Dame Kerry and Kim Speed) which caused me no offence whatsoever! In the supporting roles I enjoyed Rheanon Hanks as Clara Brown and Bec Key as Louise Brown and there was some outstanding work from Jonathan (the forgotten brother) Shippey as the assassin, Willie Lopez. It was nice to see Michele Larkin making an appearance as the Hospital Ghost, adding a song and almost a tap routine to her excellent characterisation. Aside from helping in the chorus and (I think I heard it said) doing the choreography (although no mention in the programme) Danielle Shippey put in a good shift as the Subway Ghost. Taking a part in this presentation that was as far away from Eliza Dolittle as one can possibly get! In the more prominent roles Laura Jayne Cook (nee Shippey) was in top form as the crooked psychic who helps Sam foil the bad guys. Clearly a part intended for a woman of colour, the references to white men did make me chuckle considering how pale Mrs Cook is herself! It made no difference to the excellent performance she gave, as she was as Whoopie as any Goldberg I have ever seen. Just for the record, I invented the whole penultimate paragraph honours thing as a condemnation of those performers who devour reviews looking for their own name. I have mellowed a little over the last five years and find myself a lot more tolerant. My understanding of ego’s has taught me that some are large, and some are small, and all others fall between the two. I have dedicated a paragraph each to the three main performers in this production as they were all outstanding but .. know that the last one still carries the name of the person who I consider made the most significant contribution! For good to triumph over evil you must have evil. And on this occasion, it was Billy Garner as Carl Bruner. Mr Garner is a truly exceptional actor and singer, but I don’t remember seeing him do the bad guy thing before. Having said that it was his very pleasant nature that morphed in supercilious and then psychotic and in yet another sensational characterisation Mr Garner all but stole the show. The theft was prevented on two fronts firstly by Mr Josh Shippey. A long-standing contributor to all things RATz. Mr Shippey delivered one of his benchmark performances as Sam Wheat, deceased of this parish. He managed to convey with complete assurance love, anger with just a hint of his trademark comic timing for good measure. A wonderful singing voice and one of the four best things about this show. Eden Carver! There is a time coming soon, when that will be all that needs to be said. Miss Carver has always been an asset to any production but just recently she seems to have arrived as an adult. This was her first romantic lead and instead of making a lot of a little, she was required to make a credible portrayal of unconditional love. She did, and more. The voice of an angel and the acting ability of a professional, she stamped her mark on this production so delicately and yet so indelibly it was breath-taking. She managed to resist all temptations to make any more of this compact part than was required and consequently I was mesmerised. Miss Carver you have arrived, and I feel truly blessed to have witnessed your journey. My profound congratulations to Director, Kevin Shippey, for bringing it all home. The technical direction was near perfect with only the premium special effect at the end proving something of a damp squib. I know there were reasons… but a clandestine entrance during a blackout is never easy for a man wearing a white shirt. It was a bit of a shame considering it was the denouement, but it did not lessen the achievement, or diminish the appreciation of a superb production. I did observe as I stood again in the bar after the show …. 10 minutes after the curtain (metaphorical not physical) had dropped … I could not hum a single one of the songs. They all seemed appropriate at the time and pleasant to listen to, but my take home tune was Baby Shark, as it has been for the last 3 months. I should also say it was nice to see the nicest man in Wisbech doing a cameo - as the corpse! If it was anyone else I would be referring to dying on stage but for Jamie Cook - no such disrespect. Oh .. and that fourth component? Musical Director Marie Cunningham and her 3-piece combo. I always check these days. As I have highlighted before, Mrs Cunningham’s piano always “sounds like a carnival” and you can’t decide if it’s just her, or a 12-piece orchestra. You have set yourself a tough schedule RATz and maintaining quality during a period of intense quantity is never easy. But this was quality, top quality!

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