Theater Review: 'Ghost The Musical' | Theatre | Arts & Entertainment ...

Both haunting and earthbound

By Judd Hollander Created: May 28, 2012 Last Updated: May 28, 2012

Da?vine Joy Randolph, Richard Fleeshman, and Jeremy Davis appear in 'Ghost The Musical.' (Joan Marcus)

NEW YORK?The final scene of Ghost The Musical is wonderfully magical. Unfortunately, much of what comes before sacrifices intimacy for the big bang, as it were.

With a book and lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin, music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, and based on the Paramount Pictures film written by Bruce Joel Rubin, the stage show hews too close to the source material to establish its own identity.

Wall Streeter Sam (Richard Fleeshman) lives happily with his sculptress girlfriend Molly (Caissie Levy), though he is afraid to say ?I love you? to her. Molly has been able to overcome her own commitment issues, never wanting to get married until now. Looking on bemusedly is their best friend Carl (Bryce Pinkham), who works in the same firm as Sam.

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The happy couple?s romance is cut short when Sam is killed in a robbery. Yet Sam finds he still exists as a ghost and is desperate to protect the stunned and grieving Molly.

Aided by storefront psychic Oda Mae Brown (Da?vine Joy Randolph) and a very angry Subway Ghost (Tyler McGee), Sam learns his death may not have been simply due to a random act of violence.

The musical paints a powerful message of the fragility of life. Sadly, the creative team seems to have forgotten that ?Ghost? is, at its heart, a love story, and all too often quiet moments are lost by adding unneeded bits of business.

For example, when Molly sings a haunting song about moving on, there are various people dancing in the background, blunting the emotional thrust of the number.

Elsewhere, the scene where Sam confronts his murderer (Michael Balderrama) is lit very dimly, with a screen between the audience and the actors, and so those watching are unable to see the reactions of either character.

Finally, Sam, after dying, is greeted by a Hospital Ghost (Lance Roberts), a touching moment which morphs into a song and dance number, destroying the horror Sam feels about what?s happened to him.

The show does take the art of special effects and projection to an entirely new level, making Sam?s spiritual ability to walk through walls and to disappear totally believable without distracting from the rest of the action.

The production is also able to perfectly capture the feeling of living in New York City, via excellent video work showing scenes of the skyline, Wall Street, and people running to and from their jobs?the last of these being both physical and projected.

Molly (Caissie Levy) and Sam (Richard Fleeshman) in a scene from ?Ghost The Musical,? based on the movie starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. (Joan Marcus)

Yet the show suffers from special effect?s overkill at times. In a love scene between Sam and Molly, images of their bodies intertwining are superimposed on them, as if not trusting the actors themselves to covey the emotions needed.

Fleeshman and Levy are excellent in their roles and one can certainly feel the romantic sparks between the characters. Fleeshman portrays Sam as a basically good man, determined to make things right even as he loses everything he holds dear.

Levy, meanwhile gives Molly a nicely earthy quality. The actress is also able to realistically deliver her musical numbers, ranging from songs about loss and yearning to ones of more happier times. The score itself, however, is completely forgettable.

Pinkham does a nice turn as Carl, someone who may know more about what?s happening than he initially lets on. Balderrama projects a menacing attitude as Sam?s killer and McGee has some very good moments as the Subway Ghost.

Randolph is fine as Oda Mae, but she often plays the character a bit too broadly, especially in a scene in Sam?s former office. She does have a great show-stopping number (?I?m Outta Here?), but one not necessary to the plot.

Direction by Matthew Warchus is okay as far as it goes, keeping the show moving nicely without any noticeable lags, but like Rubin?s script, his efforts fail to reach the heart of the material and make it soar.

The video and projection design work by Jon Driscoll is quite good and the illusions by Paul Kieve are wondrous to behold. Hugh Vanstone?s lighting and Bobby Aitken?s sound are both excellent, a good thing as this is one case where it is quite important for every technical aspect to come off entirely as planned.

?Ghost The Musical? has a wonderful love story at its center, but too many missteps distract from its ultimate message.

Also in the cast are Moya Angela, Carly Hughes, Jennifer Noble, Jason Babinsky, Jennifer Sanchez, Daniel J. Watts, Vasthy Mompoint, Alison Luff, Jeremy Davis, Sharona D?Ornellas, Josh Franklin, Albert Guerzon, Afra Hines, Joe Aaron Reid, Constantine Rousouli, and Daniel J. Watts.

Ghost The Musical
Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
205 West 46th Street
Tickets: 877-250-2929 or
www.ticketmaster.com
Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Open run

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.

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