Review: 2:22 A GHOST STORY, Apollo Theatre - Aug 2023
Photo credit: Helen Murray
2:22 A Ghost Story has been playing musical theatres; currently in its fifth venue, the Apollo Theatre. It continues to bring in crowds with its line up of sometimes surprising star cast members, most recently Frankie Bridge.
The story centres on husband and wife Jenny and Sam. They have recently moved into a fixer upper and are hosting a dinner party for Sam’s friend Lauren and her new partner, Ben. New mum Jenny is frightened by strange goings on that occur at 2:22am and she encourages the others to stay awake to bear witness and hold a vigil for the ghost, the husband of the house’s previous occupant. We are kept guessing until the very end when in the play’s final moments we learn the shocking truth behind these supernatural occurrences.
Hopefully the play’s description as a ghost story does not put off too many theatregoers as the show is not particularly scary, especially when compared to others in the genre like The Woman in Black. The first half in particular would be better described as a dark comedy with a few jump scares. They are mostly similar in nature, flashing red lights accompanied by jarring music, but do make the audience jump followed by ripples of nervous laughter and a chorus of ‘and I knew it was coming’.
Written by Danny Robins, the play is an astute commentary on the stages of relationships and how we deal with experiences we cannot explain. Robins has clearly taken the time to research his chosen material as in one scene rationalist Sam instigates a ghost quiz as the characters consider alternative explanations for the frightening goings on. Anna Fleischle’s extremely detailed set of a house in the midst of decorating combined with Matthew Dunster’s direction mean that even though 2:22 A Ghost Story isn’t scary throughout it is certainly relatable.
The cast consisting of Jaime Winstone (Jenny), Clifford Samuel (Sam), Ricky Champ (Ben) and new addition Frankie Bridge (Lauren) are all strong actors and successful storytellers. We really believe their fear or dubiousness in the case of Sam. The couples are meant to be mismatched and fractious but there are moments when the chemistry is slightly lacking. Winstone’s performance as Jenny is the standout but Frankie Bridge also received a well-deserved standing ovation for her theatrical debut. One can only imagine the pressure she felt stepping into the shoes of Sophia Bush, who had to depart due to illness, knowing that this gala night was primarily to showcase her performance. It is a well know fact that pretending to be drunk is tricky and as her character enjoys copious glasses of wine, she has an opportunity to show her talent. There are a few moments when you can sense her nervousness and there was also a stage slap which was pretty clunky, but not so disastrous as to derail her burgeoning stage career.
2:22 A Ghost Story is a gripping and funny dark comedy that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Luck
2:22 A Ghost Story plays at the Apollo Theatre until 17 September, with further information here.