It’s difficult to know sometimes what angle to take and how far to go one way or the other when reviewing a concert, band, CD, play or musical.
How effusive should I be if I liked it, how far should I go in damning something I hated (hopefully for well researched and considered reasons)?
I was lucky enough to be a guest on Saturday night at Crown Perth for the opening night of Ghost The Musical which is in Perth for a very short run of just three weeks.
And you know what? I freakin’ loved it. A lot. A hell of a lot.
Going in I knew virtually nothing, certainly the majestic Jemma Rix has blown the top off the Crown Theatre before as Elphaba in Wicked and Rob Mills who has wowed in Grease and Legally Blonde amongst other outings come with a fine pedigree, but as to the book and score, pretty much, zilch. Apart from the Righteous Bros classic Unchained Melody.
It is dazzling in the scope and range. At times, lyrical with Here Right Now, hard and funky with Focus and even downright heart wrenching in With You.
One of the high points is I’m Outta Here from Wendy Mae Brown as the shonky clairvoyant Oda Mae Brown. It might be an overreach to say she stole the show as the rest of the cast and ensemble are stunning, but for me, she stole the show!
Ghost is of course the stage adaptation of the film starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg in the principle roles which tells the story of two young lovebirds (Sam and Molly) who are torn apart when Sam is shot one night in the subway, and how huckster Oda Mae tries to reconnect the “here right now” to the afterlife with Sam needing to communicate that Molly is in grave danger.
I won’t give away the subplot if you can’t remember it but suffice to say there’s plenty going on!
With dazzling lighting and video effects and some really nifty magic this is a show for the eyes perhaps more than the ears. How the director has pulled off several of the set pieces is quite beyond me. No wonder that the original production won awards for Outstanding Set and Lighting Design.
Ghost The Musical may not be the show that goes into the lexicon of all time classic musicals but I’ll tell you this, it’s one of the most innovative, interesting and visually astounding shows I’ve seen in a while.