Just as discussions are underway to take this year’s runaway movie success, La La Land, to the stage it is well worth remembering that taking a film to the stage is either a great idea or a huge mistake. On many previous occasions movie magic has quickly turned into stage disaster, but with Ghost the Musical the blockbuster movie has become a sublime and terrifically moving theatrical gem.
Every part of the familiar story of the relationship between Molly, an artist, and Sam, a high-flying banker is faithfully recreated. They’ve just moved into their dream New York loft and everything seems to be coming together perfectly for the pair when Sam is killed in a botched mugging. He gives up his chance to head straight to heaven and returns as a ghost because he needs to protect Molly who, unknown to her, is in terrible danger. Connecting with Molly is more difficult than he anticipates, until he meets unlikely go-between, the hitherto fake psychic, Oda Mae Brown.
Carolyn Maitland and Andy Moss play the ill-fated lovers with as much heart, passion and soul as they can muster and their relationship, both pre and post Sam’s sudden death, is totally believable. Maitland delivers her first solo number, With You, so well that the auditorium falls totally silent as we hang on her every word and feel every bit of the character’s pain. Moss gives his vocal chords a major workout in the act two number, Teach Me How, raising the roof with no effort at all.
The evil duo of Carl (Sam Ferriday) and Willie Lopez (Leo Sené) are both tremendously strong characters. Sené is very easy to dislike from the moment that his mugging of Sam turns to murder but with Ferriday it takes a lot longer as he starts out as Sam’s best friend and colleague before his true involvement is revealed and his mask begins to slip.
Sam is not the only ghost to appear in the production with James Earl Adair taking on the sympathetic role of the Hospital Ghost, who tries to help Sam come to terms with his premature demise, and Garry Lee Netley as the Subway Ghost, a troubled and very scary soul.
The other characters in the show are all played well with the whole cast displaying a love for their own characters, and for the production as a whole. They are helped by some quick and slick scene changes with the minimal scenery easily conveying the various New York locations in which the tale is told.
At the same time as the tragic drama is being played out in the most emotional way possible, Jacqui Dubois appears as Oda Mae Brown and lights up the stage with her superb comic timing and wonderful singing voice. She squeezes every ounce of comedy out Bruce Joel Rubin’s book, blasts through Dave Stewart’s tremendous music and, on several occasions, steals the show.
This production is quite unusual in that lovers of the film will be delighted to see that the show remains as faithful as possible to the movie, but those who haven’t seen the movie (if there are many) will be delighted to see a stand-alone piece of theatre that tells one of the ultimate love stories in a beautiful, moving and stunningly emotional performance.
***** Five Stars
