Review: 2:22 A GHOST STORY, Lyric Theatre (Feb 2023)
Photo credit: Helen Murray
When Cheryl was announced to be joining the cast of 2:22 - A Ghost Story upon its opening at the Lyric Theatre, the news caused quite a stir. Cheryl is, of course, best known for her music and television career. She is not necessarily known for her acting or stage inclination. As she takes on her first acting role, Cheryl has a lot to prove to audiences and critics alike.
Cheryl makes a very good debut in this role. She appears extremely comfortable on the stage, whilst playing the least comfortable character and acts with such confidence, it seems she’s never heard the naysayers of the last few weeks. Whilst her lack of experience is sometimes apparent amongst the rest of the cast, Cheryl stands on her own as an actor with great energy throughout.
Taking place in a single night, Jenny (Cheryl) and her husband Sam (Scott Karim) are hosting Sam’s old university friend Lauren (Louise Ford) and her new partner Ben (Jake Wood) at their new home. Jenny has been experiencing strange sounds whilst Sam has been away, peaking at 2:22 each morning. To prove she is not making this up, she invites the others to stay up with her this night to see for themselves.
Wood plays rough and ready Ben in a way where audiences cannot help but like him, but as the play progresses, this begins to feel one-note and the character has a less satisfying arc. Arguably in the most demanding role, Louise Ford gives a strong performance as Lauren, working hard through unpredictable emotions in each scene. The highlight in this production is Karim as Jenny’s skeptic husband. We feel the tension build with him as he challenges his wife and guest’s supernatural beliefs. The actors are well cast as a four and Cheryl fits in nicely with her more experienced co-stars.
Putting on a play in the thriller genre, writer Danny Robins and Matthew Dunster set themselves a difficult task. In its largest London venue yet, 2:22 uses a combination of a constant fear of jump scares and a humorous script to keep the audience engrossed, teetering between tension and release. Whilst the outward focus of this play is on the thriller aspect, it is more universally suitable than is suggested, though fans expecting a particularly frightening night out may feel slightly disappointed. In fact, there is a greater focus from Robins on the relationships between the four characters over scaring the audience and this is well explored.
Anna Fleischle’s set design complements the play perfectly and the characters blend into it as if it were a real home, and much of it does look like the inside of a wealthy middle class London home. The shiny, trendy modern elements mixed with the previous decor that claws its way down the walls ensures a constant visual reminder for audiences of what once lived there.
Where there is such an appetite for the thriller genre in television, 2:22 A Ghost Story provides a new source for fans of Stranger Things, Happy Valley, The Capture and alike. In doing so, along with the pulls of celebrity casting no matter how surprising, this play is something the West End demand for inviting new theatre audiences.
A clever play with just the right levels of thrill to be enjoyed by all.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Cat Hancock
2:22 A Ghost Story is currently booking to 23 April, with further information here.