★★★
Stuck somewhere between the living and the dead, Sam (Josh St. Clair) quickly has to adjust to protect his girlfriend, Molly (Rebekah Lowings), as the truth about his sudden demise becomes apparent.
Photo by Alastair Muir
He does this - and gets his revenge - with the help of a fraud medium Oda Mae Brown (Jacqui Dubois) who, unfortunately for her, realises she possesses the “gift” after all.
As the two lovers St Clair. and Lowings have palpable chemistry, when they can they are always touching and sharing loving looks. It makes Sam’s reluctance (book by Bruce Joel Rubin) to admit he loves her feel obscure - a character flaw that forms a disconnect, a distrust, with our ghost. Together they sing through Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard’s passable pop numbers nicely, with the most memorable of the night being the devastating “With You”. As for “Unchained Melody”, the context of its use in the musical is disappointingly half-mocking - you’re best to get your Patrick Swayze fix on YouTube when you’re back at home.
Red brick Brooklyn lofts and high-rise office blocks (designed by Mark Bailey) fall around Sam as he becomes invisible to all he cares about and frantic with worry. Manhattan skylines spread widely across the stage with monuments outlined with neon lights transitioning from day to night. It’s an effective capture of the pulsating pulse of the city. Along with the shine, we see the rust in graffiti subway carts and downtrodden apartment blocks with tenants to match.
A large dance ensemble (choreographed by Alistair David), polished and pretty, highlight the disconnect between life and living. They sing about giving their time to the daily corporate grind, looking at phones rather than each other. In parts, they add to the hustle and bustle, but under-directed by Bob Tomson, they quickly become an unnecessary distraction stealing away the intimacy.
At the centre of the grind is Carl, a plucky colleague, out only for himself. In the role, James Mateo-Salt is terrifyingly convincing. But there are moments of real laughter and joy, as Dubois adds a real dose of comedy to the proceedings. The pen fiend becomes a favourable ally, and Dubois’ enigmatic spirit has us in the palm of her hand with quick one-liners. An ongoing joke where she never manages to look in the right direction of the ghosts that she hears never quite gets old.
The blink-and-you-miss-it illusions pull some awe. I won’t spoil them here, but they’re subtle, quiet tricks (cleverly designed by Richard Pinner) that linger long after the curtain falls. Complimenting the lighting (by Nick Richings) and sound (by Dan Samson), there’s a cinematic feel to the show; slow-mo fight scenes, thrilling stalks, and underground chills all have an epic edge. The band, directed by Jordan Alexander, plays to the same level, at their best during the underscore underpinning the action.
Just like Sam, this production feels a bit stuck in the middle. It has some great ideas and plugs the nostalgia gap. But, it just left me hungering for a bit more haunting.
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