“Do you believe in ghosts?” A question guaranteed to liven up any flagging dinner party. Social convention, in polite society, dictates that one should never discuss politics or religion—but this seemingly innocuous conversation starter can prove just as revealing and polarising. Views on the occult can offer insights into social status, educational attainment, upbringing, belief systems, and even morality.
2:22 A Ghost Story is the tale of a dinner party with a difference. New parents Jenny (Shvorne Marks) and Sam (James Bye) invite their longtime friend Lauren (Natalie Casey) and her latest squeeze, Ben (Grant Kilburn), to spend an evening in their new home. However, it soon becomes clear that Jenny’s motives run deeper than simply showcasing her asparagus risotto in their new open-plan kitchen extension. She has experienced supernatural happenings in her baby daughter’s bedroom. Her sceptical husband Sam, who has been away for work and is yet to witness these events firsthand, is reluctant to accept her version of what happened. Jenny hopes that by having her guests stay to experience the paranormal phenomenon (which occurs nightly at 2:22am), she can affirm her sanity and dispel her husband’s condescending doubt. What follows is a tense exploration of belief and fear, as the digital clock ticks down to a chilling conclusion.
The play has been a smash hit on both West End and provincial stages since its 2021 premiere. Playwright Danny Robins treats the subject with the care you would expect from someone who is clearly such an aficionado of the genre. It is very much a plot-driven piece, yet he manages to build suspense while exploring thematic concerns through the characters’ voices, where faith and belief intersect with class, education, and gender roles.
The staging is slick as a whistle and designed to travel intact to not lose the integrity of the original production. Anna Fleischle’s set is at once spacious and modern—perfectly parodying the copy and paste style of the well-heeled suburban millennial couple—yet at the same time feels confining and claustrophobic, contained within boundary lines marked by a perimeter of red LEDs. These LEDs punctuate a series of effective jump scares which, supported by the excellent lighting (Lucy Carter) and sound design (Ian Dickinson), heighten the suspense. Like any good psychological horror, the production creates a sense of comradeship across the audience with collective gasps and knee-jerks quickly giving way to ripples of nervous laughter at the foolishness of our instinctive reactions.
Directors Matthew Dunster and Gabriel Vega Weissman achieve a feat of pacing genius, keeping the action within the tight guardrails of the ever-present digital clock without it ever feeling contrived or self-conscious.
However, while the format relies on precision engineering, there is still enough flexibility in the script for the actors to shape their characterisations and make the roles their own. The cast has changed multiple times across the play’s different runs and tours, but on this occasion I felt that some performances landed more effectively than others.
Shvorne Marks is strong and believable as Jenny, leaning into the maternal side of the character without tipping into melodrama. James Bye’s Sam is extremely unlikeable; I remain in two minds as to whether this is a deliberate choice or simply the result of a performance pitched too harshly. A little more light and shade—some hint of redeeming qualities—might have rounded the character out.
Natalie Casey brings a little too much of her early-2000s on-screen persona to her characterisation of Lauren, pushing the performance over the top. She is clearly a capable emotional actor, as seen in previous roles and glimpsed here, but her performance was layered with too much schtick to allow for a genuine connection.
The standout is Grant Kilburn as Ben. Instantly recognisable as the “bit-of-rough” boyfriend, he brings an unexpected emotional sensitivity to the role and delivers much of the humour with a pleasing lightness of touch.
It is also worth noting that all four actors perform without the aid of head mics. Given the size of this venue compared to the smaller West End stages where the play originated, this may not have been the wisest choice. I know artificial amplification is not to everyone’s taste in straight drama but in this instance, I would have probably substituted clarity for intimacy.
Overall, this is a well-produced and highly engaging and entertaining play, with a superb storyline that keeps the audience on edge until the clock finally runs out.
2:22 A Ghost Story runs until Saturday 11th April 2026 at The Liverpool Empire Theatre (7.30pm nightly, with matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday). Tickets are available via https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/2-22-a-ghost-story/liverpool-empire/
Reviewer: Dan Grimes
Reviewed: 6th April 2026
North West End UK Rating: