FIVE STARS

Eye-popping visuals and compelling, plangent music to complement the emotional heft of the story it accompanies make Ghost the Musical one of the most exciting stage experiences in Oxford for years.

This reviewer sat open mouthed in astonishment – and admiration – throughout the two-and-a-half hours of this tremendous show. In surprise, too, for unlike almost everyone else in the stalls around me, I have never seen Ghost, the high-grossing 1990 Hollywood film.

This meant, besides the thrill of the unknown, that I could revel in the star quality shown by Stewart Clarke and Rebecca Trehearn in the lead roles of Sam and Molly without making a comparison, odious or otherwise, to the performances of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Ditto that of Wendy Mae Brown in respect of her work as the gloriously comic medium who ‘reunites’ them following Sam’s murder. This role, of course, won Whoopi Goldberg one of the film’s two Oscars.

The other went to writer Bruce Joel Rubin. He took on the job of reshaping his screenplay for the stage and came up with a top-class script. The songs, from the Eurythmics star Dave Stewart and lyricist (with Rubin) Glen Ballard, arise naturally from the action, as in all good musicals. Again in accordance with best practice, they also work to propel the story ever onward.

Director Matthew Warchus, whose gift for stage magic is also paraded in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda, offers some arresting set pieces here. These demand all the high-tech trickery available in terms of lighting (Hugh Vanstone and Tim Lutkin), video (Jon Driscoll) and illusions (Paul Kieve).

Stand-out moments for me include the sensational scenes on the New York subway featuring the acrobatic antics of its ghost (Stevie Hutchinson) and the brilliant depiction of the helter-skelter pace of life on the money markets in More, where the work of choreographer Ashley Wallen is seen to great effect in the balletic motion of the ensemble as traders.

Who could forget, too — it was the talk of everybody in the interval — the amazing scene in which the lovelorn Sam — by now a ghost — appears to pass through the closed front door of his old apartment?

As I said, young actor Stewart, newly graduated from Warwick University, shows star status in this part, which places tough demands on his vocal range (as does that of Molly, not always so successfully met by Rebecca). Stewart also shows a strapping, gym-toned physique much displayed, to the delight of ladies present, in the early scenes.

The comic effect of the interventions of medium Oda Mae — initially a fraud who is as amazed as everyone else by her assumption of true psychic powers — is significantly heightened by the attention of attendants (Karlene Wray and Keisha Atwell) garbed and moving in the manner of a Motown girl group.

Smoothly villainous Carl Bruner and the more obviously crooked Lopez are well portrayed by David Roberts and Michael Cortez.

This is a first-class production that should not be missed.

 

Until March 8.

Box office: 0844 871 3020, atgtickets.com/oxford