Ghost The Musical Review – 2017 Theatre Archive

Archive note: This is my original 2017 review of Ghost The Musical. I’ve tidied the old formatting for readability, but the opinions and experience are preserved as I wrote them at the time.

Ghost The Musical

Everyone loves a good chick flick, and Ghost starred the late Patrick Swazey and the beautiful Demi Moore.

This powerful film sees tragedy strike in one of the worst forms possible: the untimely death of a soul mate. The love Molly and Sam shared for each other, when they are taken apart, is a heart-wrenching ordeal to watch.

Sam did not know he wasn’t living anymore. In his spirit form he befriended a fake psychic, who unbelievably finds her calling and helps guide the truth about what happened to Sam that fateful night. Whoopi Goldberg plays this role brilliantly.

Seeing these three as a major act to follow, that was a huge challenge when it came to choosing the leading roles for the stage production.

How Did Ghost The Musical Compare to the Film?

The scene was set, with a beautiful screen and the Unchained Melody words “my love, my darling” inscribed on it.

So how did Ghost The Musical compare to the movie? The production kept almost faithful to the film aside from a couple of things which, I will say, I had a massive problem with.

If you have seen Ghost, there is the iconic moment when Unchained Melody starts playing, Molly is at the potter’s wheel and Sam joins her for a passionate, romantic scene.

I have to admit I was keen to see how they would make this work. While Dirty Dancing and the bedroom scene was amazing, unfortunately I was left disappointed at the rushed scene here. However, I know this was to fit more into the show.

Carolyn Maitland as Molly and Andy Moss as Sam

Carolyn played a fantastic Molly. The trauma she was going through was portrayed fantastically.

Now Patrick Swazey is a very hard act to follow. The choice for Sam’s part was a good option: Andy Moss had heart and put a lot of effort into his role, and the vocals were excellent. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Hollyoaks star could sing.

Jacqui Dubois as Oda Mae Brown

Then we got to meet Oda Mae Brown, played by Jacqui Dubois, whose shoes were hard to fill. Whoopi Goldberg, as always, plays the film role fantastically, so how did Jacqui Dubois compare?

I was dubious at first, sceptical even. Needless to say, the choice worked and she left most of us in stitches — especially hitting those “TEN MILLION DOLLARS!” moments. Brilliantly done.

What Worked — and What Didn’t for Me

Carl did well for his role. My only problem was his death scene: it wasn’t as it was in the film, with the drama of the glass shattering and falling onto him. I was a little disappointed it wasn’t the same.

Overall this was played well aside from the two things which, for me, pretty much made the film. I still very much enjoyed Ghost The Musical.

The train scene and the preparation for Sam to push into the world of the living was good, including how he remembered to scream at the train each time it went past.

And not forgetting the coin scene, which was skipped in the show, to prove that Sam was there in the room.

My Rating

3/5

For me, the main scenes did not quite live up to my expectations.

More From the 2017 Ghost Archive

I also spoke to Carolyn Maitland, who played Molly in the production.

Read my Carolyn Maitland interview →