Ghost the Musical at the Liverpool Empire Review

Reviewed by Dotty Winters

The Liverpool Empire was busy and buzzing for this Monday night (10 April 2017) performance of Ghost. The Empire is a huge, and very grand space, so it takes a lot of excitement to fill it, but the audience (some of whom, it was clear, were back to watch the show for a second or third time) brought more than enough anticipation to create quite an atmosphere. As ever the Empire ran like a well-oiled machine, with their friendly and efficient staff ensuring that everyone was helped, served and seated effortlessly. This venue is very well positioned and well-designed, the super-central location (right next to Lime St station) and the layout with multiple bars make it a pleasure to visit.

Creating a musical based on such a beloved film is a brave decision, fans of the original hold it in very high esteem. From the outset it is clear that this production has been firmly created with this audience in mind, the book, tone and spirit (no joke intended) are incredibly true to the film, and the influence of those involved in both is clear. It wasn’t until just before curtain up that I realised that in order to pull this off, the Director was going to have to find a way to create “ghosts” on stage, before our very eyes. I won’t spoil how they achieved this, (largely because, after a fair bit of thinking and  a lot of googling the best I can come up with as explanation is that they are magic), but the effects are eerily effective and unlike anything I’ve seen in other musicals. Overall the production has a very cinematic feel and projection and lighting are used to great effect. The cinematic elements made the production feel intimate and worked well for the smaller and more emotional scenes, but the whole cast numbers lacked the scale and energy of other productions.

Whilst they were well performed by the cast, the songs are perhaps not as catchy as they could be, and for me, won’t be the bit I remember. The cast was very strong, and shoed great versatility in moving between the emotional elements of the story, the humour which is well-used throughout, and some high-drama scenes.

This is undoubtedly a musical for people who love the film. The audience were delighted by the performance, even laughing in anticipation of scenes or interactions which were about to happen. I can see this musical building quite a cult following, and the sniffles and red-eyes as we left the auditorium were a good indication of the emotional resonance the story held for many.

Rating: 4/5

Tickets cost from £14.90 to £52.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).

Ghost the Musical is at the Liverpool Empire from 10-15 April 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/liverpool or call the box office on 0844 8713017.

Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017