Ghost - The Musical at Bristol Hippodrome. Theatre Review.
Posted on: 2016-09-16
Our rating:
There are some lively and energetic performances by the supporting cast in a number of high energy dance routines and some mighty fine visual effects on display as the production seeks to show Sam and his fellow ghosts in all their glory.
Ghost is a timeless story of the power of love and is showing at Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 17th September. Based on the 1990 film starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, this is a brand new production of the moving love story with an expanded book, new music and innovative staging. Yet despite these new touches it loses nothing of the original tale that captured the heart of romantics everywhere and led a generation of us to take up pottery!
***GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE REMAINING NIGHTS HERE***
It tells the story of Sam and Molly, a blissfully happy couple whose joy at being together proves all too short lived when Sam is killed during a bungled mugging. Molly is left alone to deal with her overwhelming grief, not realising that Sam is still there with her in the form of a ghost. Desperate to solve the mystery of his murder and anxious to keep Molly safe from the crooks who killed him, Sam enlists the help of phoney psychic Oda Mae Brown in order to contact Molly and protect her from those who mean her harm.
Andy Moss as Sam and Sarah Harding as Molly are an attractive, likeable and (almost) believable couple, albeit with slightly iffy American accents. Both gave their all as they tried to convey the underlying emotion of 2 people being wrenched apart, but this didn’t always come across, particularly in the scenes of Molly wistfully staring vacantly into space or Sam awkwardly standing mid-stage in a manner reminiscent of someone who needs to go to the bathroom.
Vocally too things were a little hit and miss. Andy Moss was neither good nor bad just OK, clearly a competent singer he sadly didn’t exude much in the way of star quality. Sarah Harding was a disappointing lead, giving a weak vocal performance which had some of the audience near me sniggering as she missed note after note. She clearly struggled with the emotional, slow songs which unfortunately made up the majority of her numbers, though when able to belt it out in more lively numbers it was clear she has a pretty powerful voice trying to break out.
The real star of the show was Jacqui Dubois as Oda Mae. She is a force of nature, delivering a sublime comedy turn. The stage, and indeed the whole show came alive once she made an appearance, with her mighty voice and huge stage presence she was a real delight to watch. Well deserving of the massive cheer and applause at the end.
There are some lively and energetic performances by the supporting cast in a number of high energy dance routines and some mighty fine visual effects on display as the production seeks to show Sam and his fellow ghosts in all their glory. The score is good, with some catchy original numbers as well as a version of Unchained Melody, the song that symbolised the movie and which the Hippodrome audience waited for with bated breath. As well as the song, the iconic moment with the potter’s wheel is in there and all the characters fans of the film love make an appearance.
Ghost The Musical is unashamedly soppy, lightweight romantic fare. Not the best show I have seen and not the tear-jerking, heartstring pulling blub-fest I had expected but there are still enough good bits to make it an entertaining watch.
3.5/5
Article by:
Sarah-Jane is an aficionado of film, theatre, culture and the arts. A voracious reader and avid crafter, she can be found volunteering her face painting talents at Bristol Zoo when she's not cementing her reputation as Coalpit Heath’s cake maker extraordinaire. Known to have an opinion on everything she’s never happier than when sharing these with the good folk of Bristol!
