The stars of Ghost – the Musical talk about their production.
Since it premiered in Manchester in March 2011 and moved to the West End that summer, Ghost the Musical has thrilled audiences around the world. It has been on Broadway, played everywhere from Germany to Australia via South Korea and Russia, and has toured the UK, North America and Asia
As a new major national tour produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd makes its way around the country, vistting Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre from 22nd-26th October, leading lady Rebekah Lowings promises fans of the iconic 1990 film on which the show is based will be happy to see its reverence towards the source material.
“It’s an ode to the movie version,” says Rebekah, who plays Molly Jensen – the role made famous by Demi Moore on screen. “It’s actually quite similar because lots of the script has been taken from the film and Bob Tomson, our director, has done such an incredible job at making sure that we stay truthful to the spirit of it.”
In fact, Bruce Joel Rubin has adapted his Oscar-winning screenplay for the stage and he’s written the lyrics too, while the music is by Eurythmics legend and multiple Brit winner Dave Stewart and Grammy-winning songwriter Glen Ballard.
“So it’s like the film on stage,” Lowings adds, “but it’s heightened tenfold by the incredible music. People come to see it because they love the movie and they leave going ‘The music is amazing’.”
The actress’s extensive CV includes My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She played Molly in 2018/2019 and says of returning to the role: “I really relish the responsibility of being able to portray grief because it connects you so intensely with the audience, especially post-pandemic when there is an awful lot of grief in the world. Making sure that it is truthfully portrayed and that it is done with a duty of care really is important to me.”
In the heart-wrenching story, Molly is grieving the loss of her boyfriend Sam Wheat after he is attacked and murdered by a mugger on the street in front of her. Trapped between this world and the next, Sam enlists the help of phoney storefront psychic Oda Mae Brown in an attempt to make contact with Molly to warn her that she’s in grave danger.
Heartbreak and grief are key themes in the show. “But there’s also such joy and hope in it,” Rebekah points out, “and the comedy between Sam and Oda Mae is genius.”
Ghost was the highest-grossing film of 1990 and remains one of the most successful movies of all time. Lowings recalls seeing it and being obsessed with Demi Moore. “I just thought that she could do no wrong and she is such an iconic actress. She played it so incredibly truthfully and that’s something that I try really hard to bring to every performance.”
Is one of the movie’s most famous scenes, where Molly and a still-living Sam enjoy an erotically-charged pottery-making session, in the stage version? “Oh yes,” Rebekah smiles, adding that her pottery skills have come on a lot since she first did the show.
The Righteous Brothers classic Unchained Melody, as featured in that classic scene, has been ported over from the film but the rest of score is made up of original compositions. “And they’re incredible,” Rebekah gushes. “The score is one of the things that keeps drawing me back to this job.”
Josh St. Clair, who plays Sam Wheat, agrees. “People who come to see the show will be pleasantly surprised by how true it is to the film,” he says. “A lot of the dialogue is very similar and they’ll see a lot of their favourite moments on stage. But then it has this brilliant rock-pop score, with some heart-wrenching ballads and some upbeat tunes.”
The actor’s credits include Frozen The Musical, Kinky Boots, School of Rock and City of Angels. “But this is the most challenging thing I think I’ve ever done on stage, although it’s also probably the most rewarding because it’s about trying to connect with loved ones and negotiating grief. I don’t take lightly the effect that this show and the story has on people.”
Has he drawn from Patrick Swayze’s performance in the film? “I’m definitely not doing a Patrick Swayze impersonation. It’s very much my own interpretation of the character but he was a phenomenal actor, and he’s brilliant in the film, so there are things in his performance that I’ve tried to steal from. Well, maybe that’s the wrong word, but they do say you should steal from the best people, so I’m taking inspiration from him and then putting my own stamp on it.”
As for why the tale remains such a beloved one, St. Clair believes: “I think it’s timeless. It’s a love story and everyone can connect with that, but it’s also a thriller and it has supernatural elements. There’s so many things that people can tap into in it.”
Jacqui Dubois has a vast resumé that boasts People, Places & Things, The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz, The Full Monte and Rent, to name just a few of her credits. Playing Oda Mae in Ghost is, she says, “right up there” among the best roles of her career to date.
“I love playing Oda Mae,” Jacqui explains, “because she says what’s on her mind, which most of us don’t do on a normal daily basis, and I find that really refreshing. She’s also very funny and she’s just an absolute riot to play. But you don’t just get the funny bits – there are serious moments too and she gets really scared. She’s spent her whole life conning people, then suddenly it’s actually really happening and she’s totally disoriented by the whole experience.”
Jacqui is a big fan of Stewart and Ballard’s score as well as Rubin’s lyrics, which reference much of the film’s iconic dialogue. “The songs spring out of the story and it’s great how Bruce’s lyrics wave in some of that dialogue, like when Molly sings With You. And I love performing I’m Outta Here because it tells you what Oda Mae is thinking and the dreams she’s dreaming.” Jacqui laughs. “It’s a bit like when you get a job as an actor and you start dreaming about all the things you want to spend the money on.”
The show has a profound effect on audiences. “Every night you hear the audience laughing and crying,” the actress notes. “It’s cathartic to sort of share the grief that we all have if we’ve lost someone. The message is that the love that you have for people that you lose doesn’t just go away and you should be thankful that you have had that kind of love in your life.”
Legendary entertainer Les Dennis is on double duty as Hospital Ghost and Lionel Ferguson. Of the former he says: “He’s such a fun character who Sam meets after he’s been killed and I get to sing a lovely song called Ball of Wax.” Then in act two he plays Lionel, the banker who Oda Mae comes across in her bid to help Sam. “If you remember the scene from the movie, it’s really funny and it’s hilarious on stage too.”
The actor, comedian and TV presenter has been in the business for more than five decades and he’s blown away by the advances that make a technologically complex show like Ghost possible. “It looks amazing and there are incredible illusions that I had to watch over and over before I sussed out how they were done. When I’m backstage I go ‘Oh, that’s how that works’.”
Since the tour started he’s been thrilled by the reaction from the audience. “There’s a standing ovation every night. If you love the film, I think you will love the show even more. Even during rehearsals I was in tears, as are people in the theatre, but it’s also so uplifting, with the idea that these two people who love each other get to meet again.” Les laughs. “Lots of men come along under sufferance with their wives and they’re bowled over by it.”
Ghost – the Musical is at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from 22nd-26th October. Tickets from the box office 024 7655 3055 or boxoffice@belgrade.co.uk