Ghost The Musical

‘Simply Stunning’ are the two words that I would describe KMTC’s production of Ghost the Musical that is being played this week at Northwich Memorial Court.  It is rare that all the elements of a musical fall into place to produce a stunning show but this was definitely one of those occasions when the stars aligned and every aspect is brought together to produce a hit such as this.  Directed and produced by Ben Ireson, this musical had everything.  Light and shade, humour and depth, outstanding creativity, amazing technical elements and an outstanding and sympathetic orchestra.  The audience laughed, they cried, they were stunned into silence and were treated to a visual delight. 

We all (should) know by now the story of Molly and Sam thanks to the well-known film version of this musical, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopie Goldberg.  The musical, written in 2011, tells the same story but with a new score.  This production was unlike any other version of this show that I’ve seen.  The enormous video wall was an excellent creative idea that was used so well throughout to establish location, enhance the plot and convey the trickier parts of the death scenes/ghostly plot.  The set was equally brilliant and used very well throughout.  There were many, many creative ideas that just worked.  The whole tone of the evening was set at the beginning and I totally believed that Molly and Sam were in love.  The pace, flow and energy were kept up for the whole show and the storyline was always kept at the forefront.  The office scene and the subway scenes were well executed.  There are too many superlatives to talk about for Ben Ireson’s creative direction for this piece so I will only go to say once again that this production was ‘simply stunning’. 

One of the outstanding features for me were the orchestra.  Under the excellent direction of conductor and musical director Michael J Scott, this orchestra were nothing short of outstanding.  Sympathetic to the softer moments and a wonderful anthesis to the darker moments the harsh sounds of the electric guitar blended wonderfully with the clarinet and the violin.  The drummer was on point with giving light and shade to Michael’s amazing direction – I couldn’t keep my eyes off them!  Well done to Michael J Scott and his amazing orchestra – your hard work did not go unnoticed.

Choreography was by Alexandra Howarth.  I loved how the choreography and the direction were synched together to create a piece of movement that was stylistic and sympathetic rather than performed just for show.  The darkness of the lights, the business suits and the style of choreography were blended together to create a metaphor for society; A faceless world going on around the backdrop of Molly’s apartment and her obvious grief.  This movement style was different.  It created shapes, directions and didn’t steal anything away from the story – a hard task.  Well done to Alex and the great chorus of dancers.

The lights were brilliant.  I love the use of shadows and darkness in the darker scenes as well as the bright video wall that was used as a lighting source.

The sound was brilliant also.  I could hear every word from the cast and every section of the orchestra.  The blend between cast, orchestra and audience was great also – a hard task in a vacuous room such as this.

The costumes and props need a special mention too.  Each costume and prop added something to a scene, whether it be an important prop such as those that move in the subway scenes or a costume like the one used by Oda Mae to enhance the trickery in the death scenes.  Everything worked well and had a purpose and was appreciated by me.

Molly Jensen was superbly played by Nickie Simms.  Nickie was great from the opening scene and I really believed that she was in love with Sam.  Nickie’s voice was beautiful to listen to.  Her version of ‘With You’ left half of the audience in tears – Stunning!! Her emotions however were a little forced.  I would’ve preferred to see Nickie feel the grief rather than being shown that she was grieving.  Overall though, Nickie gave a strong performance. 

Andrew Dunn brilliantly played the role of Sam Wheat.  Hardly ever off stage, Andrew certainly had his work cut out, but he handled everything with ease.  Andrew displayed some wonderful vocals and I totally believed that he was in love with Molly.  A great performance throughout!

Carl Bruner, Sam’s disloyal best friend was wonderfully played by Gabriel Walker.  Although for me Gabriel looked a little young to play the part of a banker, he played the role very well.  I liked his interpretation of the character and had light and shade from the beginning scene until his ultimate demise.  Gabriel also showed some beautiful singing throughout too.

Ode Mae Brown was played by Heather Baker.  Heather was suitably funny when she needed to be and showed a softer side also.  This is a very hard part to play if you are a white woman as a lot of the language is written in a certain way.  For me, Heather played it very similar to Whoopie Goldberg and as a white woman, it didn’t quite work.  I also felt that some of the vocals were a little wobbly in places.  Saying that, I can fully appreciate that Heather committed fully to the character and was very strong on stage.  The audience laughed in all of the right places, it’s just for me, something didn’t sit right with the interpretation of the character, but this is just a personal preference and in no way should distract from Heather’s performance.

The rest of the supporting cast were strong in their roles.  Jonathan Hall was great as the Hospital Ghost.  He told the story well and interacted with others well.  Andy Dolan was great as the Subway Ghost also.  Those scenes were visually very good.  K Ellis was also very well cast as Willy Lopez and gave a strong performance.  A special mention has to go to Clare Moorehouse and Lauren Campbell for their very strong vocals as Louise and Clara, the sisters of Oda Mae.

Overall, this show was a massive success.  It was visually stunning and was full of creativity and flair.  It’s rare that a show comes along when everything just works and KMTC will look back on in years to come knowing that this was one of the great ones!  The supporting ensemble were strong vocally and movement wise and helped enhance the tone of the overall piece.  Scene changes were expertly directed and carried out and the whole thing just worked.  The audience laughed, they listened, and they were moved.  I congratulate KMTC for a wonderful production, thank them for their kind hospitality and wish them all the very best for their next production of Shrek in May 2020!

 

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