Jacqui Dubois as Oda Mae Brown, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy & Sadie-Jean Shirley as Louise & Clara – Photo Credit: Pamela Raith
Performance Date: 23 January 2019
Venue: Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
Having announced a new UK tour at the back end of last year, Ghost the Musical rolled into Wolverhampton this week off the back of some highly positive reviews since it opened in Bromley on 8 January.
The musical, based on the classic 1990 film of the same name, tells the story of Sam and Molly, a young and successful New York couple with everything to live for. When Sam’s life is tragically cut short at the hands of a low life street mugger, he is trapped between worlds and unable to cross over. With the help of dubious ‘gifted’ psychic Oda Mae Brown, Sam is forced to protect Molly from danger and avenge his untimely death.
The film, starring Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze was a box office smash and the highest grossing film of 1990. Nominated for a multitude of awards, Ghost won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar with Goldberg picking up the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her performance.
Adapted for the stage by the Oscar-winning by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Bob Thomson, Ghost the Musical enjoyed its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House in 2011 before heading to the West End. A transfer to Broadway soon followed with the first UK tour coming in 2013. The second UK tour suffered several highly publicised ‘bumps in the road’ with the part of Molly being recast halfway through the tour.
It is safe to say Bill Kenwright’s 2019 offering banishes the ghost (pun intended) of the previous tour’s shortcomings. This production is fresh and vibrant thanks, in the main, to its new leads.
In the absence of principal Rebekah Lowings, Charlotte-Kate Warren stepped into the role of Molly and she did not disappoint. Warren’s portrayal of Molly feels incredibly honest and authentic and her ability to translate so many emotions is outstanding. Ghost delves into several human emotions from joy and optimism to unimaginable grief and Warren nails them all with the poise and assurance of a leading lady. She is also incredibly strong vocally and does justice to the challenging score written by Dave Stewart (best known as one half of the Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard.
Warren’s stand out moment comes during her performance of ‘With You’, an incredibly heart-wrenching ballad, which she delivers with such conviction and raw emotion that a lump in the throat is nigh on unavoidable.
Leading man Niall Sheehy is an endearing and likeable, albeit commitment phobic Sam, and he perfectly articulates Sam’s distress and frustration at his situation. Sheehy and Warren’s chemistry is believable throughout and never more so during the iconic pottery wheel scene.
Their combined vocals on songs such as Here Right Now and Three Little Words are powerful but it is the number that is so synonymous with Ghost where their partnership truly shines. Warren and Sheehy’s duet of Unchained Melody is note-perfect eliciting every single emotion from the leads, performing it with heartbreaking assurity.
Sergio Pasquariello (fresh from his turn on the West End in Heathers the Musical) is perfectly cast as the duplicitous Carl, bringing a boyish charm to the villainous character.
The effervescent Oda Mae Brown is played by the returning Jacqui Dubois, who portrayed the character during the previous tour. Dubois steals the show and scenes are all the richer when she is on stage. Her introduction to proceedings and subsequent number Are You a Believer is one of the highlights of the show. The scene is further complemented by the energy of Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy and Sadie-Jean Shirley as Louise and Clara.
The refreshed ensemble cast is also strong and energetic and although this is a small company, the performances are seamless making the cast feel larger than it really is.
Adapting a production that once graced the West End stage is a tricky affair and can sometimes look watered down, however, the production survives it. Although much of the special effects from the original production have been removed some incredibly clever lighting arrangements and visual trickery have taken their place. Thanks to the vision of Lighting Designer Nick Richings, the contrast between the living and the dead is both evident and effective.
Ghost the Musical touches on a number of themes, loss, grief, revenge, and the cast navigate the changing emotions effectively. Although death is a central theme, Ghost the Musical is uplifting and inspiring in equal measure. Whilst emotive and highly charged in parts, these scenes are offset by comedic interludes, breaking up the darkness of the story.
This tour of Ghost and the cast, in particular, deserve their plaudits; the musical has come back so much stronger with Sam and Molly’s story undoubtedly continuing to appeal to and resonate with audiences old and new.
