Ghost the Musical – Liverpool Empire

Based on the 1990 film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Kenwright Ltd has brought the musical back to life with a UK tour, and this week it is at the Liverpool Empire.

Ghost focuses on a banker, Sam Wheat, who is murdered on his way home from his girlfriend, Molly’s, art exhibition and seeks the help of psychic reader, Oda Mae Brown, to help him save Molly and release him from the transitional world he is currently trapped in.

Ghost the Musical started its life back at the Manchester Opera House in 2011, but the show has come a long way since then, and due to artistic changes and budget cuts, this is a vastly different show to what it once was. Gone are the days of elaborate sets with high tech special effects but the story and the heart still remains.

Josh St. Clair takes on the mammoth role of Sam Wheat and what a track it is, carrying the whole show on his shoulders, St. Clair delivers a nice character, delivering some incredible vocals but for me it felt like the character was a little flat. Rebekah Lowings returns to the role of Molly Jenson and shows a great amount of emotion throughout, delivering a beautiful, powerful rendition of With You but sadly I didn’t feel much of a connection between Sam and Molly. This could be due to it being opening night, I just felt like the relationship was lacking for the most.

James Mateo-Salt takes on the villain, Carl Bruner, who is responsible for the death of Sam, fighting with his guilt throughout but the need to pay of his debts, Mateo-Salt delivers an interesting take on the character, although I’d like to have seen more of an arc as I felt the character didn’t grow throughout his downfall.

Jacqui Dubois as Oda Mae Brown was the light relief the piece needed and absolutely brought the show to life, with incredible comic timing, amazing costumes, and a phenomenal voice. Her two ‘sisters’ Clara (Tanisa Butterfield) and Louise (Keiahna Jackson-Jones) were fantastic and added to the comedy and vocals, especially during ‘Are You a Believer?’ with the hilarious added extra of Mrs Santiago (Molly Cleere).

Wade Lewin, this evening playing the role of Subway Ghost, gave a menacing portrayal. The Hospital Ghost/Lionel Ferguson, brought to life tonight by Jamie Pritchard, did a nice job but there is not much to these roles, especially with You Gotta Let Go Now being stripped back and half the song gone, it is not the large, inspirational song it once was.

The set, designed by Mark Bailey, was used well, although at times felt it was used to cover the lack of people on stage and there were interesting takes on the lack of special effects, especially with Sam ‘walking’ through the doors, although I felt very underwhelmed at times, especially when the ‘Ghosts’ were being dragged to the other side.

Music directed by Jordan Alexander was great, with band sounding incredible. I thought the lighting by Nick Richings was fantastic and used extremely well, especially with the lack of special effects. Sound was great for most parts, but as with many shows at the Liverpool Empire, it doesn’t always translate as well to the audience and there were times where it was hard to hear parts or vocals came across a little distorted.

Choreography by Alistair David was inventive and delivered to a good standard by the small supporting cast.

The final scene was delivered beautifully and had many in the audience very emotional and there were a few moments made famous by the film that landed well with the audience.

Ghost the Musical is a beautiful show with stunning songs, and I hope it builds on the parts it’s lacking as the tour goes along.

Playing until Saturday 7^th September with tickets available from https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire/

Reviewer: Damian Riverol

Reviewed: 3^rd September 2024

North West End UK Rating: