‘Ghost’ // Spotlight Theatrical Company
‘Ghost’ was emotional.
‘Ghost’, a musical written by Bruce Joel Rubin, with music by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. ‘Ghost’ the musical was based on the romantic fantasy thriller of the same name, released in 1990. Having been performed in the West End and on Broadway, ‘Ghost’ made it’s first ever performance in Australia with The Spotlight Theatrical Company.
Spotlight’s rendition of ‘Ghost’ was directed and choreographed by Clay English, with musical direction from Shari Willner.
Set in Brooklyn, New York, ‘Ghost’ follows couple Sam Wheat (Chris Ostrenski) and Molly Jensen (Ebony Reeves) as they move into their new apartment, with the help of their friend and Sam’s co-worker, Carl Brenner (Clay English). After an unfortunate encounter with an armed assailant on the streets (Marcelo Novaes), Sam dies and becomes a ghost, trapped between life and the afterlife. As Molly grieves her deceased boyfriend, Sam attempts to warn her of the danger she is in, with the help of psychic Oda Mae Brown (Tracie Filmer).
The casting for this show is brilliant. Ebony Reeves’ emotion in all her scenes was incredible, you can truly feel her grief as she dealt with the pain of losing Sam. Similarly with Chris Ostrenski, you can really feel the urgency of the situation through his movements, and the panic in his voice feels so real.
The chemistry between Reeves and Ostrenski is incredibly palpable, it really feels as if these two actors are deeply in love.
Clay English as Carl Bruner is superb casting! From his acting to his singing, he plays the good guy and the bad guy incredibly well! He commands that stage with every scene he has, truly amazing.
As for Tracie Filmer as Oda Mae Brown, she is hilarious! She is absolutely fantastic as a scammer-psychic-turned-real-psychic. Every scene she is in had everyone shaking in their seats with laughter!
The dancing and singing in this show is absolutely amazing. With the ensemble made up of Anastasia Muir, Angelina Marchant, Dana Sandry, Gabriel King and Ricky Moss, and the featured dancers being Brianna Lane, Lauren Vartanian, Molly Fogarty and Tiahni Wilton, they are all so entertaining to watch. The dancers are so talented, you couldn’t possibly look away! Props to the women for dancing in heels with that choreography, that is no easy feet!
The special effects for this show are quite interesting! Showing the New York Skyline on a screen while the actors performed behind it was a cool effect, albeit a bit distracting from the acting.
The lighting was fantastic, it was amazing how the lighting operation by Thomas Bell, and Leonnie (LJ) Jones depicted the life and afterlife through warm and cool colours.
Set design was also great, very reminiscent of New York infrastructure and apartments. Wonderful contrast between Sam and Molly’s apartment and the apartment of the assailant.
Costumes by Laura English and Caroline Carrett were unbelievably impressive. A highlight of the show, the costumes excellently depicted the style of New York living and working. As for the costumes for the afterlife, which were outfits styled with both white and dark navy was an incredible depiction of being caught between two worlds.
Shoutout to the band, Shari Wilder (keyboard/conductor), Ruby Tate (keyboard 2), Jesse Jenner (guitar), Coen Chalmers (bass), Peter Lavrecic, Nicolas Woodhead, Yunosuke Matsui (drums), Laura Bye (violin), Daniel Smerdon, Jake Goodall (cello), Matt Pearson, Louise Emery (reed), and Ben Harris (trumpet). Beautiful musical performance, an absolute joy to listen to.
The backstage crew also deserve a shoutout, for handling all those props, set pieces and set changes. The moving pillars were especially cool. Good job to Kathryn Henderson (stage manager), Shane Scanlon (assistant stage manager), and the stage crew, Hayden Manitta, Noel Thompson, Rhee Brewster, Stephanie Starre, Jo Barreto, Lily Malone and Brandon Stevens.
From the cast, to the crew, the acting, singing, dancing and everything in between, ‘Ghost’ is an incredible show you do not want to miss.
‘Ghost’ the musical is currently playing at Spotlight Theatre until August 17th, 2024. For more information, visit their website.
