REVIEW: Ghost - the Musical – Malvern Theatres (Tuesday, November 26 to Saturday, November 30).
Showtime! stars rating: * * * * *
ALLOWING for the fact that we’ve all thought about it occasionally, this intensely moving and at times almost unbearably tragic story nevertheless still poses quite a few questions about death and whatever may - or may not - follow on from that.
For a start, even in my wildest daydreams, it had never occurred to me how infuriating and terminally frustrating it must be to exist in a state of limbo.
I’ve just said ‘terminally’ and that implies there is an end in sight at some stage. But of course, there’s not. We’re talking about eternity here.
Or so it would appear from Bruce Joel Rubin’s tale about what happens to a couple of obsessively loved-up people when one of them is killed during a street mugging that goes horribly wrong.
Sam Wheat (Josh St Clair) is sent into astral orbit by a pistol-packing piece of pond life played with gruesome, morality-free sensitivities by the admirably menacing Jules Brown. The end of Sam? Not one bit of it.
But as far as his partner Molly Jenson (Rebekah Lowings) is concerned, to say she is distraught gets nowhere near. Her grief is not only palpable but agonising to witness.
She turns in an incredible performance. Only someone with a heart of granite could fail to be moved by her portrayal of a person whose life has, like her late partner’s, also been destroyed.
And as this story progresses, the misery she endures increases as the hopelessness of her situation becomes all-too clear.
But if this all sounds like a bit of an ordeal, take heart. For adding a welcome slice of whimsy to the proceedings is Les Dennis, playing the part of another ghost who has some useful advice for newcomer Sam.
Oh yes, and another thing – Les also possesses a good rock voice too, as you will soon discover. Who would have thought it.
However, adding to this dense fog of desolation is the actual reality of what it means to be a ghost. Yes, if you are a spirit, you can see what’s happening in the world of the living yet cannot change outcomes.
This is brought into even sharper focus when work colleague Carl Bruner (James Mateo-Salt) tries it on with Molly, which is witnessed by the hapless Sam, who can only stand by and watch. Luckily for him, she spurns chancer Carl’s opportunistic approaches, saying she’s not ready for another relationship.
And thankfully, bringing some light relief to this tale of woe is the magnificent Jacqui Dubois, who plays spiritualist Oda Mae Brown. Part testifying preacher, part soul sister, she turns in a fabulous performance as she first counsels, then guides Molly as the deceased Sam whispers messages in her ear.
The music – composed by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard – is consistently superb, perhaps only eclipsed by the tune that is most famously associated with the show, Unchained Melody. To think that this first drew breath as the mere ‘b’ side to a now obscure follow-up to You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.
Talk about the record company getting things seriously wrong. The tortured lyric of this song is haunting in the extreme, and few who have heard can fail to have been transfixed.
Meanwhile, the dancers power the whole thing along, bringing joy and celebratory abandon to the stage, working to the beat of a brilliant band that injects shed loads of lighter moments to the occasional darker passages.
Ghost is a drama that while putting the audience through the proverbial wringer, also inspires and strangely comforts at the same time. I loved every single minute, even if one's heartstrings are wrenched out by their roots rather than just gently tugged.
And that’s why this moving piece of theatre is thoroughly recommended and should not be missed. On all this week at Malvern.
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