Ghost

Malvern Theatres

***

A packed auditorium eagerly awaited this classic tale of love, loss and psychic telekinesis, 'reimagined' by prolific producer, Bill Kenwright.

Alas, from the opening number, Here Right Now until the final curtain, there seemed a deficiency in the essential elements that flowed abundantly with vibrancy and credibility in the original box office hit from 1990.

Carolyn Maitland as Molly acted and sang beautifully, and the duets with Sam, (Sam Ferriday) were at times, quite pleasant. However, overall, there was little chemistry between the couple, especially in the iconic pottery wheel scene which, (pardon the pun), was very lacklustre. More emotion and a dash of the erotic spine tingling connection would have lifted this to the dizzy heights one was expecting.

The staging was rather basic. Needed an injection of glitz, glam, razzle-dazzle. Special effects were somewhat comical. No credibility seeing a corpse dragged offstage by the legs, in full view, is hardly a spectacular illusion. Also, set changes weren't exactly seamless.

Sam and Molly

Andy Moss and Carolyn Maitland pottering about. Picture: Pamela Raith

Full marks to Jacquie Dubois as the glorious psychic, Oda Mae Brown. She belts out her numbers with such joy and energy, lifting the show every time she stepped onto the stage. The rousing applause she received was testament to her expressive portrayal of this charismatic bundle of joy. Let's say she was a very happy medium!

Fair to say, the punters seemed to enjoy the show, many giving the ubiquitous standing ovation, so oft seen nowadays. The one saving grace was the rendition of Unchained Melody, possibly the only memorable number. If you are seeking an evening of 'out of body experiences ' with a splash of light relief, Ghost has a modicum of entertainment value.

Supporting cast included Ethan Bradshaw as the scheming Carl, Leo Sene as Willie Lopez, James Earl Adair the hospital ghost and Garry Lee Netley the subway ghost.

Directed by Bob Tomson with Tim Whiting as musical director, Ghost runs to 08-04-17

Elizabeth M Smith / Rosemary Manjunath

04-04-17 

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