GHOST – THE MUSICAL at The Hawth Theatre , Crawley
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
GHOST – THE MUSICAL at The Hawth Theatre , Crawley
If you were to quantify my love of the film Ghost with a ranking , I ’ m confident I ’ d come out in the top five fans of the film , ever . I know exactly what happens to who , when it happens , and practically all of the words too . So , when I heard they were making a stage musical , I ’ ll admit my first reaction was to scoff at it . “ How on earth are they going to convey the presence of a ghost on stage ?” Was my first thought , quickly followed by “ but , it ’ s not a musical .” Invited along to Crawley ’ s fantastic Hawth Theatre , I jumped at the chance to see the show and it exceeded all of my expectations . BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
In truth , I think the first six-month run of Ghost – The Musical was overshadowed by the constant media response to Sarah Harding ’ s leading role as Molly Jensen . She wasn ’ t strong enough for the part , leaving loyal fans disgruntled and feeling out of pocket . Fast forward to this second run , however , and from the minute the lights dim and the first words are spoken , it ’ s clear as crystal that the current cast can hold their own , and , incidentally , hold a tune too .
You could watch the show quite happily even if you weren ’ t particularly keen on musicals , but to really appreciate it , you ’ ll need to be a fan – the way the script has been reimagined to seamlessly blend speech ( great American accents all round ) and song is incredibly clever . I couldn ’ t take my eyes off Carolyn Maitland , who now plays Molly , as she sang ‘ With You ’ – one of the most beautiful songs ever written in my humble opinion ; she has an angelic voice and there wasn ’ t a dry eye in the house as she finished .
A huge surprise to me was how smooth and silvery Andy Moss ’ s singing voice is . He plays lead male , Sam Wheat , and of course you expect the lead in a musical to have a great voice , but his is really captivating . For me , alongside Jacqui Dubois , who plays the brilliant Oda Mae Brown , Andy ’ s performance was the standout performance of the show . He brings Sam ’ s boyish charm and humour to life faultlessly , especially when teamed with Oda Mae ; as any fan of the film will know , the bickering , almost slapstick duo that Sam and Oda Mae make up is as hilarious as it is emotive and Andy and Jacqui play it to perfection .
Aside from excellent acting and a script that stays as true to the film as possible , but with updated extras such as the use of mobile phones ( I ’ m pretty sure I saw a selfie stick too ), the set is mind blowing . Movable and very slick , the way the actors combine parts of the set with clever performing techniques and tricks such as slow motion and body double is the reason they can bring the most poignant and memorable scenes from the film to life on the stage . I ’ m not giving away any more – but I do urge you to catch this remarkable show during its UK tour ; it ’ s a moving and intelligent adaptation that will have you crying and laughing in equal measure .
The Hawth Theatre Hawth Ave Crawley RH10 6YZ
01293 553636 www . parkwoodtheatres . co . uk / The-Hawth www . kenwright . com / microsite / ghost-the-musical /
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