Review: 2:22 A GHOST STORY, Noel Coward Theatre

Photo credit: Helen Murray

(**MINOR** spoilers)

This new supernatural play by Danny Robins provides a wildly thrilling ride full of jump-scares and excellent acting, but ultimately leaves us with more questions than answers... until we manage to answer them ourselves.

We open on a beautifully crafted set, showcasing both the modern and the echoes of the past in a single room which doesn't change for the entire show, as the story is told over two nights. The premise is this: after moving into their new home, every night at 2:22, a woman (Jenny, played by Lilly Allen) hears footsteps and crying coming from her child's bedroom. One night, she and her partner (Sam, played by Hadley Fraser) invite their friends Lauren (Julia Chan) and Ben (Jake Wood) over for a dinner party and decide to stay up until the mysterious 2:22, debating on whether or not ghosts truly do exist...

It's a masterclass in suspense, with a looming clock drawing ever closer to 2:22, and such suble but effective sound design by Ian Dickinson. The audience is never truly allowed to feel relaxed. You are kept constantly on edge, not just because of the writing of the piece but from the scene transition jump-scares that come out of nowhere (make sure you aren't holding your drink too tight!) That being said, the show is also surprisingly comedic; one liners such as "Let's make contact" (when delivered by Wood's to-the-point Ben) cut the tension, just for a brief second, lulling us into a false sense of security, before being taken straight back into suspense.

All four lead performances are wonderful and for it to be Lilly Allen's West End debut, we are thoroughly impressed; you wouldn't be able to tell for her acting and characterisation makes the final twist all the more shocking. We have already mentioned the comedic abilities of both Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood, but they are also able to create truly complex characters too, and the same goes for Julia Chan, with her scenes being some of the most tense.

We've been sworn to secrecy on much more regarding the plot, especially its final twist, which at first appears to have come out of the blue but upon further consideration, the clues are there throughout the piece, hidden in some incredibly clever throwaway lines and jokes that, whilst watching, you don't think twice about. An extra five minutes to give us more of an idea of what is going on would have helped us appreciate the story more in the moment, rather than being sat in the theatre thinking "oh, is that it?" and then on our train home going "Ohhhhhhhhh! This, this and this!!!!! We can't believe we didn't think of that!" And getting excited again being able to acknowledge the cleverness of it an hour after the show has ended. Perhaps that's the beauty of the piece?

You'll need to decide for yourself once 2:22 comes around... 👀👀

"Alexa, give 2:22 four stars... Alexa! Alexa!!!! The damn thing never works!"

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

2:22 A Ghost Story runs at the Noel Coward Theatre in London until 16 October. To book tickets, please click here.