Ghost the Musical Regent Theatre Review
Ghost the Musical
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
8-18 January 2014
Reviewed by Katie-Louise Lander & Sean Davies
Her Review – by Katie-Louise Lander
The movie Ghost is a 90’s classic. Starring the legendary Patrick Swayze, the movie took you on an emotional journey from happy beginning to the bitter sweet end. When I heard that they were to adapt the movie, one of my top 10 of all time, into a musical stage show, I was more than a little excited.
It was a blustery Thursday in Stoke-on-Trent and the day had already been eventful, but the prospect of watching Ghost: The Musical at The Regent Theatre still had me shaking in anticipation. My fiancé and I got there bright and early, grabbed a drink, took our seats and watched the curtain rise.
The first thing that hits you about Ghost: The Musical is the use of lighting. The staging and light set-up were superb, creating effects that I had never seen before in a musical. A blast of light introduces the show, bright enough for you to squint at the stage and seconds later the image of an apartment appears, draped in rags. The lighting set up at this point makes it appear as if windows are magically hanging in front of the stage and the image of a 4 walled building is complete. Moments of magic like this are found throughout the show as the use of lighting, projections, smoke and what seems like a constantly moving stage creates brilliant imagery.
Molly, Sam and Carl are quickly introduced and even though they do not look like the actors from the Ghost film they portray the characters perfectly. Molly, fantastically portrayed by Rebecca Trehearn, had a wonderful voice and I cried, smiled and laughed along with her as the emotion she carried in all of her actions was palpable. Sam, played by Stewart Clarke, was very easy on the eyes, funny and a good actor and packed plenty of character into his one-liners. Stewart’s voice was clear and strong, especially when portraying anger or frustration as it was not only written on his face, but plain to hear in his voice too. David Roberts took the unenviable role of Carl and executed it perfectly – so perfectly in fact that I found myself angry and upset at the actor for his betrayal of his friend. It was totally believable. Unfortunately, he was occasionally lost during his singing parts as his voice was lost behind the music and ensemble.
Ghost: The Musical is filled with plenty of original songs which in general were good. The song Here and Now was a particular highlight. The only musical piece that I did not enjoy was the first song by Oda Mae Brown and her sisters as it felt like it was too high pitched.
Ghost: The musical takes what Ghost the movie began and made it even more emotional. It grabs your hand and takes you through every emotion that the characters are feeling. The sadness, happiness, anger and every other emotion portrayed emanated from the stage. I cried along with Molly as she sobbed her heart out. I clenched my fist when Sam discovered Carl’s treachery. I was physically terrified of the train ghost but sympathised with his frustration and anger. The entire show was a rollercoaster ride making you chuckle even before your last tear had dried. I cannot recommend Ghost: The Musical enough. Anyone who is a fan of the movie or book will be dragged along in the torrent of emotion pouring from the stage as I was. I am already looking into booking more tickets for myself and family members. Ghost: The Musical is fantastic.
His Review – by Sean Davies
I am a “man’s man”. I like beer, football and explosive action films – so the thought of sitting through Ghost: The Musical did not fill me up with excitement as it did for my fiancée. Being the doting and loving fiancé that I am, I went in to the Regent Theatre with an open mind but secretly thought I was going to hate the next 3 hours – but I could not have been any more wrong.
From the very second that the curtain was raised, Ghost: The Musical is a visual spectacular. Backed by a giant TV screen, the staging is lit from what feels like millions of directions creating some amazing optical illusions. Walls move, screens descend, light pours out, switching from garish 90’s neon colours to subtle pastel shades to suit the mood on stage. The entire show is mesmerizing. One particular scene, the train scene is framed between two screens, giving the illusion of looking at a moving train – it was breath taking.
Of course, being a musical, Ghost: The Musical has singing and dancing (the one aspect I expected to dislike the most). To my surprise, the show is filled with toe-tapping tunes, heartfelt melodies and of course, a few unique versions of Unchained Melody. The dancing choreography is spot on and is always backed up by something visually eye popping on the back screen. The show is well balanced with enough spoken script to ensure that the story is told thoroughly with just enough singing to ensure neither gets onerous. The one thing that I think Ghost: The Musical did perfectly was silence. The directors obviously recognise that sometimes, silence screams louder than any song or dance and the moments when the stage is silent are harrowing. These moments have stuck with me as they were emotionally charged without a single word having to be said.
One of the main criticisms I have of Ghost: The Musical is that the pacing of the show seemed a little off. The first half of the show was a constant barrage of light, colour and wonderful singing with a fast pace. After the break, the performance slowed and some of the tempo was lost and some moments began to drag.
As for the cast, both Stewart Clark & Rebecca Trehearn had excellent chemistry as Molly and Sam. They worked exceptionally together and, apart from a few moments when Rebecca seemed to sing through her nose, their melodies were pitch perfect. David Roberts absolutely nailed Carl. He pulled off the slimy, backstabbing banker act with ease. The star of the show was Wendy Mae Brown who played Oda Mae Brown who, from the second she stepped on stage provided light-hearted relief and she threatened to steal the show on numerous occasions. She dropped more one-liners than both Stallone and Schwarzenegger combined and hit her cues every time. Surprisingly, Stevie Hutchinson, who played the subway ghost was probably my favourite performance of the night. He was completely commanding on stage and demanded your attention as he acrobatically and aggressively swung himself around his train. He was very impressive.
Ghost: The Musical got its hooks into me when I didn’t expect it too and took me for an emotional joyride. My lip quivered. My eyes welled up. I got agitated. Felt angry. The emotional storyline combined with the visually spectacular staging, lighting and choreography draws you in until you are sitting on the end of your seat and even though the story of Ghost is a well-known one, it still surprises you at how well it is told in Ghost: The Musical.
As the curtain fell, I felt satisfied that Ghost: The Musical is probably one of the most impressive pieces of musical theatre I will see at the Regent Theatre. It is truly spellbinding and the perfect winter warmer. The cast put on a wonderful performance of a heart-warming but bitter sweet story and the original songs had me nodding along with the rest of audience. Even though I expected to hate every moment, I loved it and the smile on my fiancées face showed me that she loved it too.
The cast, crew and musicians deserved the standing ovation that they received and I would gladly go back and see Ghost: The Musical again. And again. And again.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £12.90 to £57.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
For more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/ghost/regent-theatre
