Ghost: The Musical, is an adaptation of the award winning, film. On the 14th of November the show opened in Leeds Grand theatre. The performance certainly had moments of psychic brilliance, which added up to an enjoyable evening.
The plot follows Sam (Andy Moss) and Molly (Kelly Hampson), a young couple deeply in love. However when Sam is killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong, Molly is left alone with her grief. Sam, now a ghost, must uncover the reason behind his death in order to cross over to the other side. With the help of a psychic called Oda Mae, Sam slowly uncovers the treachery surrounding his untimely demise.
‘Kelly Hampson, Harding’s understudy, had an excellent voice which hit all the notes with ease’
Despite the absence of Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding, who would usually take the role of Sam, the performances given were pretty good all round. Kelly Hampson, Harding’s understudy, had an excellent voice which hit all the notes with ease. It was disappointing to see the lack of chemistry between her and her co-star Andy Moss. The relationship between Sam and Molly felt awkward at times and far removed from the devotion which the audience are supposed to presume exists between them. The big ensemble, numbers were clumsily blocked with dance moves which neither added to the performance nor drew attention to the talent of the actors. There was some cringe inducing dancing with umbrellas which made me fear for the actors’ eyes. The special effects, which can be such an impressive part of Ghost, were unimaginative.
‘Despite these complaints, the show added up to an enjoyable evening of musical theatre’
Despite these complaints, the show added up to an enjoyable evening of musical theatre. Oda Mae, played by the brilliant Jacqui Dubois, roused a lot of laughs from the audience and Kelly Hampson’s performance of ‘With You’ was deeply moving. Overall this is an enjoyable, over the top, production, but don’t expect anything ground-breaking.
Xa Rodger
(Image courtesy of Leeds Grand Theatre)