Ghost

Five Towns Theatre               Ghost              November 2015

Based on the 1990 film, the story revolves around two lovers, Sam and Molly who set up home together at the start of the show. Their lives seem perfect but then Sam discovers discrepancies in some of the accounts at the bank where he works.  Before he has time to investigate, Sam and Molly are mugged in the street and Sam is killed. Now a disembodied ghost, Sam seeks to find out who killed him and try and protect Molly from beyond the grave.

The original songs are good, if not particularly memorable. Unchained melody makes an appearance and so does the iconic potter’s wheel scene, although the intensity created in the film does not transfer well to stage.

In the movies it’s possible to make anything happen. In the theatre, it’s a little more difficult to summon up ghosts and physical disturbances. However, I had decided I wasn’t going to look for ‘how it was done’ and because of that I was pleasantly surprised, particularly by the transference of the bodies, you see the body, then a few seconds later you see the ghost. These moments were executed well and there were genuine noises of appreciation from the audience fooled by the cunning misdirection of staging.

The use of the blue follow spot for Sam’s ghost worked very well but then adding other follow spots meant it lost its intensity. The set was mahoosive but created a suitable backdrop. Maybe the stairs to the top level could’ve been used more than for just Sam’s walk towards the ‘bright light’. The subway scenes worked well with some clever touches and the use of the sliding trucks helped the show to flow between scenes.

As the lovers separated by death, Andrew Turner as Sam and Natasha Dawe as Molly had good stage chemistry, creating a believable relationship cut short by a tragic event. More depth and variety of emotions would have added to the performances but they steered us well through the events of the story.

Oda Mae Brown gets the best lines, the best outfits, and by far the best songs. It is her character which gives the story a much needed shot of warmth and colour and Lucy Birkin made the most of it all with brilliant characterisation and great comic timing.

Teague Davis as Carl makes a convincing bad guy/good guy. Best friend to the couple whilst being the cause of Sam’s untimely death. Believable throughout although I would’ve liked to have seen the failed seduction of Molly be a little less contrived.

Ed Costello as Willie Lopez, the hired criminal, it brought a dark side to the proceedings and created the strength, tension and fear needed for his part in the show.

The subway ghost certainly made an impression, but be careful when taking on such a strong character that the mannerisms and voice you adopt doesn’t make your words indistinguishable.

The company exuded life and enthusiasm. They were well rehearsed, slick and worked well as an ensemble. Some lovely choreography really added to the scenes they were involved in.

Well done to all involved in making this production a success. 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.