Ghost The Musical
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Ghost The Musical
The dazzling new musical GHOST, based on the phenomenal Oscar winning Paramount Pictures film written by Bruce Joel Rubin, will receive its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House, running for a strictly limited season from 28 March - 14 May 2011 prior to opening in London's West End in June 2011.
It’s going to Manchester’s Opera House first to try it out and give it the necessary tweaks before it transfers to London.
The new musical Ghost, based on the Oscar winning film written by Bruce Joel Rubin, will receive its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House from 28th March - 14th May 2011.
It is then due to open at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End on 19th July (previews from 22nd June 2011).
Ghost The Musical Theatre Breaks
| musical: Ghost | 
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| starring: Richard Fleeshman, CAISSIE LEVY, SHARON D CLARKE | |
| Book Now: Ghost theatre breaks | |
| opening night:24 June 2011 booking until 13 October 2012. |
Ghost Cast Changes for 2012
Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman leave Ghost the Musical in London’s West End on 12th January 2012 in order to help transfer the show to Broadway in the USA. The lead roles in Ghost, London will then be taken by Siobhan Dillon and Mark Evans, as from the 13th January 2012.
Ghost London Full Cast List
The full new cast list for Ghost in London from 13th January 2012 is as follows:
- Siobhan Dillon as Molly Jensen
- Mark Evans as Sam Wheat
- Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown
- Andrew Langtree as Carl Bruner
- Ivan de Freitas as Willie Lopez
- Adebayo Bolaji as the Subway Ghost
- Mark White as the Hospital Ghost
- Lisa Davina Phillip as Clara
- Jenny Fitzpatrick as Louise
The rest of the cast are Jaygann Ayeh, Paul Ayres, Darren Carnall, Samuel Edwards, Rebecca Giacopazzi, Emily Hawgood, Louise Lawson, Rochelle Neil, Michael Peters, Laura Selwood, Yemie Sonuga, Spencer Stafford, Philippa Stefani, Jez Unwin, Sally Whitehead and Mark Willshire.
Mark Evans has concluded his role as Fiyero in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Siobhan concluded her role as Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde The Musical at the Savoy Theatre earlier.
Ghost London Opening Night
Ghost The Musical made its highly anticipated London West End opening on July 19th, at the Piccadilly Theatre, after beginning performances on June 24th, 2011.
Ghost, based on the Academy Award winning film "Ghost," has extended its run at London's Piccadilly Theatre and is now booking through to 13 October 2012.
Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy lead the cast of Ghost The Musical playing Sam and Molly in Matthew Warchus' stage musical version of the Academy Award winning film. Accompanied by Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown and Andrew Langtree as Carl'
Ghost The Musical has new music and lyrics by Grammy award winning Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard as well as featuring the iconic song Unchained Melody. Oscar winning Bruce Joel Rubin has adapted his original screen play for the stage. Set and costume designs are by Rob Howell, choreography is by Ashley Wallen with musical supervision and arrangements by Christopher Nightingale, illusions by Paul Kieve, lighting by Hugh Vanstone and projection design by Jon Driscoll. Matthew Wachus directs.
A timeless story about the power of love, Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next trying to communicate with his girlfriend Molly through a phoney psychic in the hope of saving her from his murderer. Ghost, based on the Oscar winning Paramount Pictures film, will feature new music and lyrics as well as the classic Unchained Melody.
Ghost The Musical at West End Live 2011
Sharon D Clarke takes the stage at West End Live 2011 and treats the London crowd to a storming performance of "I'm Outta Here"
Ghost Video Preview
About Ghost The Musical
Sharon D. Clarke talks about Ghost The Musical just after her cracking performance at West End Live 2011
Ghost The Musical is based on the famous 1990 film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, which told the tale of a murdered husband trying to get in contact with his wife. The most famous scene involved a pottery wheel.
Ghost The Musical is a tale of tragedy, love and loss. Sam and Molly walk back to their apartment after a night out, but Sam is mugged and killed in a shocking attack.
With Molly seemingly in danger, Sam's ghost tries to communicate with her through a psychic, but will it save her from a similar fate?
At the workshop performances of Ghost last year there was some criticism that Rubin’s book could not be successfully be transferred from films to stage so the creative team have spent a year re-writing and apparently the show vastly improved.
The original 1990 film starred Patrick Swayze ( Dirty Dancing ), Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg winning Oscars.
Ghost Casting
The latest casting news is that Richard Fleeshman who recently starred in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre will play the ghostly Sam (as originally played in the film by Patrick Swayze)
The Canadian actress Caissie Levy (most recently Sheila in Hair in London and on Broadway) is to play Molly (the Demi Moore part).
Sharon D Clarke has been cast as the phoney psychic. Sharon Clarke has appeared in West End shows including Chicago, We Will Rock You and The Lion King, and is also well known from TV after her role in Holby City.
Bruce Joel Rubin, the man who wrote the screenplay for the movie, has adapted his script for the stage version, while Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics has helped to pen the music alongside Glen Ballard.
Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy, recently seen in the West End in Legally Blonde – the Musical and Hair, respectively, will lead the cast as Sam and Molly in Ghost The Musical.
The stage version of the Academy Award-winning film begins performances at the West End's Piccadilly Theatre June 22, prior to an official opening July 19. Prior to London, it will also play at Manchester's Opera House, beginning performances March 28 for a seven-week run through May 14.
Also in the cast are Sharon D. Clarke as Oda Mae Brown and Andrew Langtree as Carl, with Ivan de Freitas (Willie Lopez), Adebayo Bolaji (Subway Ghost), Mark Pearce (Hospital Ghost), Lisa Davina Phillip (Clara) and Jenny Fitzpatrick (Louise). They are joined by ensemble and swing members Jaygan Ayeh, Paul Ayres, Darren Carnall, Rochelle Neil, Michael Peters, Laura Selwood, Yemie Sonuga, Spencer Stafford, Phillipa Stefani, Jez Unwin and Sally Whitehead.
Andrew Langtree is playing Carl Bruner.
Andrew’s West End theatre credits include Blood Brothers, Fame and Sky in Mamma Mia! He has appeared in The Glass Menagerie, London Assurance and Six Degrees of Separation at Manchester's Royal Exchange.
Full Cast List
The full cast list for Ghost the Musical is:
- Sam Wheat - Richard Fleeshman
- Molly Jensen - Caissie Levy
- Oda Mae Brown - Sharon D Clarke
- Carl Bruner - Andrew Langtree
- Willie Lopez - Ivan de Freitas
- Subway Ghost - Adebayo Bolaji
- Hospital Ghost - Mark Pearce
- Clara Lisa - Davina Phillip
- Louise - Jenny Fitzpatrick
Ensemble: Jaygann Ayeh, Paul Ayres, Darren Carnall, Rochelle Neil, Michael Peters, Laura Selwood, Yemie Sonuga, Spencer Stafford, Philippa Stefani, Jez Unwin and Sally Whitehead
Ghost at the Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre will host the West End debut of Ghost next year, it has been confirmed. Grease is the show currently taking place at the venue and is to run at the Piccadilly Theatre until April 30th 2011.
Ghost will arrive from June 22nd for previews, with an official gala opening to be held on July 19th 2011.
The romantic musical features a heavy-weight creative team including direction by Matthew Warchus (Deathtrap, La Bete) and music and lyrics by legendary pop and rock writers Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (writer of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror). The show will also feature the classic song penned for the movie, Unchained Melody. Ghost The Musical will be designed by Rob Howell, with illusions and stage effects by Paul Kieve (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and a script by the original Oscar-winning screenplay writer Bruce Joel Rubin.
Grease is currently playing at the Piccadilly Theatre, closing on 30 April 2011 to make way for Ghost The Musical.
| Ghost The Musical|, is now confirmed to open at the Piccadilly Theatre in London on 19th July 2011, following previews from 22nd June – booking to 28th January 2012. Tickets available from Thursday 23rd September.
Ghost Charity Single
The musical Ghost which started previews week beginning Monday 20th June released a charity single of "With You" sung by Richard Fleeshman & Caissie Levy as a charity in aid of Stand Up to Cancer.
With You (feat. Richard Fleeshman & Caissie Levy) (Duet version)
Ghost Facebook Sessions
Ghost The Musical Broadway Cast
Ghost The Musical has announced full casting for the Broadway production. Joining West End stars Richard Fleeshman (Sam Wheat) and Caissie Levy (Molly Jensen) will be Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Oda Mae Brown), Bryce Pinkham (Carl Bruner) with Tyler McGee, Lance Roberts, Moya Angela, Jason Babinsky, Michael Balderrama, James Brown III, Stephen Carrasco, Jeremy Davis, Sharona D’Ornellas, Josh Franklin, Albert Guerzon, Afra Hines, Carly Hughes, Karen Hyland, Alison Luff, Vasthy Mompoint, Jennifer Noble, Joe Aaron Reid, Constantine Rousouli, Jennifer Sanchez, Daniel Watts, and Jesse Wildman. Ghost The Musical begins previews on Thursday, March 15th at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with opening night on Monday April 23rd.
Ghost the Musical is still playing at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End where it is booking until 30th October 2012.
Ghost Musical Reviews
Now the first night is over, here are the reviews:
Quentin Letts Daily Mail ★★★
"Much of Ghost is not so much musical theatre as blaring pop concert ... Sitting in the middle of the stalls, I felt as though I had just spent two and a half hours at the noisy end of an airport runway ... I did not enjoy the first half much and returned after the interval, fortified by a schooner of the producers’ white wine, with trepidation. Yet by the curtain call I was, if not moved, far more enthusiastic ... There are repeated 'you guys' and 'you know whats?'. Terrible dialogue. Obvious melodies, too. It is unfair to judge Levy’s acting, so wooden are her lines, but she has a STRONG voice ... The show’s tentative exploration of an afterlife did grab me... red flashes and images of a cackling devil. Heaven is also discovered towards the end of the show ... Sharon D Clarke brings the production to life ... Blinding lights and some clever tricks. Well done, illusionist Paul Kieve ... If, by the end, you have not contracted tinnitis from the over-amplification, you might even hear a few sniffles of emotion as they sing the final song."
Michael Billington Guardian ★★★
"Musicals based on movies are a dime a dozen, but Ghost is the first I've seen that feels like a film ... The real stars of Matthew Warchus' production are Rob Howell's sets and Jon Driscoll's video designs ... Caissie Levy's Molly, although well sung, seems somewhat grumpy and Richard Fleeshman's colourless Sam apologetically sings, in proof of his unarticulated affection, 'I make you scrambled eggs.' The passion is upstaged by the projections. The romantic songs, by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, are strangely forgettable. Where the show sparks into life is with the emergence of Oda Mae Brown, the fake medium who acts as Sam's intermediary with Molly. This is partly because Sharon D Clarke has an overwhelming personality and a richly expressive voice ... It is Clarke who provides the show with what it mostly lacks: heart and soul. For the rest, one is left to gawp at the ingenuity of Paul Kieve's illusions ... Warchus masterminds the whole operation with skill. But unlike Matilda, which features members of the same production team, I felt the people were largely secondary to the optical pyrotechnics."
Charles Spencer Daily Telegraph ★★★★
"Like the film on which it is based, Ghost the Musical proves the guiltiest of pleasures. Indeed, in many ways, Matthew Warchus’ production strikes me as superior to the 1990 movie ... In the movies, you can make anything happen. In the theatre, it takes real ingenuity to summon up ghosts and physical disturbances from beyond the grave. Warchus succeeds spectacularly, here with the help of the illusionist Paul Kieve ... The use of state-of-the-art video and projections... has great panache, too ... Though the story is a touch corny, and often gloopily sentimental, there is something genuinely distinctive about Ghost ... Sharon D Clarke is a comic joy in the role, making the part entirely her own despite following in the Oscar-winning footsteps of Whoopi Goldberg ... Clarke almost blows the roof off the theatre with her raucous rendition of the show’s best original number, 'I’m Out of Here' ... Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy need to ignite a touch more stage chemistry ... But Andrew Langtree and Ivan de Freitas prove genuinely sinister ... The show’s ending... proves unexpectedly touching and is magically staged. This may not be a great musical, but it is a highly entertaining one that looks set to keep audiences laughing, gasping and sniffing back tears for a long time to come."
Alun Palmer Daily Mirror
"There is heaven and then there is hell. And somewhere between the two is the living death that is Ghost ... This musical version isn’t so much a joyous celebration of love lasting beyond the grave as dead on arrival ... The script is wetter than a November weekend in Skegness ... The music, by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, is the kind of bland pap he churned out in the 80s ... Even the choreography was last seen in a trashy Eurythmics video ... Sharon D Clarke gives a bit of zest to proceedings ... Fleeshman has a fine voice and spectacular moving video screens and special effects help distract from proceedings. But not for long. This Ghost seems destined not to haunt the West End for very long."
Henry Hitchings Evening Standard ★★★
"With superb special effects and engaging performances, Matthew Warchus' production certainly has plenty of dazzle ... Bruce Joel Rubin has dutifully adapted his own Oscar-winning screenplay: there's the famous scene with the potter's wheel, the hungry yearning of the Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody', and the soulful chutzpah of Oda Mae Brown ... Here we have the ingredients of a haunting musical. But we end up with something unsubtle and often strident ... The show suffers from following the film too closely ... Richard Fleeshman is powerful and sensitive. Caissie Levy shows a seemingly effortless vocal potency as his devoted partner Molly. Yet we never get a strong sense of their passion ... There's an assured performance from Andrew Langtree as Carl... and Sharon D Clarke brings some welcome notes of throaty gospel to her role as the charlatan Oda Mae. The chief success is the production's aesthetic. Rob Howell's impressive set deftly integrates magician Paul Kieve's effects and clever projections by Jon Driscoll, and there are moments of gasp-inducing ingenuity. This technical wizardry, allied to the appeal of the leads, may just be enough to make Ghost the Musical an unearthly hit."
Dominic Maxwell The Times ★★★★
"OK, Ghost the Musical, I give in, you win. Your songs are proficient rather than memorable. You cling too tightly to the shape of the 1990 film. You’re a spectacular that frequently flirts with overkill ... There’s still a potter’s wheel, that mockably phallic wet-clay session is gone. However, the Righteous Brothers’ 'Unchained Melody' remains the motif. Richard Fleeshman as the buff young banker Sam sings and strums it to Caissie Levy as his buff young artist girlfriend Molly ... There are power ballads as Molly pines for Sam; power-chordy production numbers that evoke big longings in the Big Apple; a gospel tune for Sharon D Clarke in the Whoopi Goldberg role ... Fleeshman, trapped between life and death, gives the big sell to Sam’s confusion and rage. Levy simply soars ... The first half has some wobbles. The second half builds and builds ... There are proper laughs, thanks to Clarke’s spirited turn as Oda Mae ... The best single argument for putting this film on the stage is Paul Kieve’s special effects ... Now, heaven help us if all shows laid it on this thick. Yet for all the steroidal qualities of Ghost the Musical, it also has wit and heart, and can really, properly dazzle."
Michael Coveney Whatsonstage.com ★★★
"There are moments in the 1990 film of Ghost when music is undoubtedly called for ... I’m not sure Ghost the Musical supplies what’s missing to a sufficient degree ... But... we do at least have an utterly faithful rendition of the film’s narrative and a couple of strongly built, though not exactly soul-stirring, power ballads for Caissie Levy ... Most impressively, Matthew Warchus’s slick and efficient production, even though it loses dramatic momentum in the first half, finally pulls the elements of love story, thriller and supernatural transfiguration into one ship-shape organic whole ... The notion that we have a parallel existence beyond mortality is stunningly expressed in a show of video projections (designed by Jon Driscoll) ... These sequences are what make the musical crackle into life where there previously was none ... Sharon D Clarke’s mountainous, hot-gospelling psychic Oda Mae Brown, sensibly avoiding any wise-cracking, wacky resemblance to Whoopi Goldberg in the movie. Warchus and designer Rob Howell create a teeming contemporary canvas in Wall Street and Brooklyn ... Sam and Molly are an anodyne couple, while Andrew Langtree has more to work with as their treacherous friend, Carl ... In all, it’s a fairly fine new musical, and not just for those who love the movie."
News about Ghost The Musical on Broadway
Ghost the Musical is heading to Broadway, New York USA.
The show, based on the classic Oscar winning film starring Patrick Swayze and Whoopie Goldberg, will preview at the Nederlander Theatre from March 2012. It will be directed by Matthew Warchus. The venue has not yet been announced and the cast will be revealed at a later date.
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