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Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: St. Louis

Ghost: The Musical
The Peabody Opera House


Carla R. Stewart and Steven Grant Douglas
I kept waiting for a bad song but, to be honest, I never heard a single one in this very nice musicalization of the 1990 movie (with music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, and book by movie writer Bruce Joel Rubin). The ballads are invariably lovely, the action engrossing, and many lively, animated projections jazz things up considerably. I'm still shocked I really liked it!

Understudy Andrea Rouch was outstanding in the Demi Moore role (as Molly), with a beautiful voice and manner, as she worked her way through the grief of losing her lover (the excellent Steven Grant Douglas). Molly is normally to be played by Katie Postotnik in this traveling production.

As even wraiths and spirits must know by now, Sam (Mr. Douglas) and Molly are separated when he's killed in a late night mugging. He then tries to communicate his love and to protect her as he follows her around in a ghostly blue wash. Until, of course, he can enlist the help of a crooked psychic (Carla R. Stewart, as Oda Mae Brown).

Along with all the beautifully sung and acted ballads (including the emblematic "Unchained Melody" by Hy Zaret and Alex North), it's Ms. Stewart's performance (in "the Whoopi Goldberg role") that helps make the production come fully alive. She gets three rousing comedy numbers, greatly relieving the (beautiful, but) mournful and murderous drama. In fact, her first song is made triply hilarious with the help of back-up singers Lydia Warr and Evette Maria White. Later, in "I'm Outta Here," Ms. Stewart deliriously "runs the table" in the casino of life.

Robby Haltiwanger is perfect as Sam's charming, duplicitous friend at a huge New York bank, and his own sad solo in "Life Turns on a Dime" is surprisingly beautiful as well. Fernando Contreras brings the danger as Willie, and Brandon Curry is very fine as an anguished "subway ghost" in a couple of impressive action sequences with Mr. Douglas on the train. He later teaches Sam how he manages to endure an eternity trapped down here in the world of the living.

A surprisingly strong show from beginning to end. And even though the multitude of highly polished animated projections might sound overbearing or distracting, they are all used very smoothly to enhance the story and (I must grudgingly admit) to elegantly merge the elements of cinema and live theater in a very respectable way.

(And, finally, two very small tech notes to the crew: when pulling ropes to remove rolling set pieces, always try to keep the ropes as low to the stage floor as possible, to avoid distracting the audience. Also, there were two noticeably late light cues on opening night, in an otherwise complex and dazzling evening. Probably just a stubborn computer, based on my own limited experience.)

Through March 30, 2014, at the Peabody Opera House. For more information, visit www.peabodyoperahouse.com. For more information on the tour, visit www.ghostontour.com.

Cast
Sam Wheat: Steven Grant Douglas
Molly Jenson: Katie Postotnik (Andrea Rouch in this performance)
Oda Mae Brown: Carla R. Stewart
Carl Bruner: Robby Haltiwanger
Willie Lopez: Fernando Contreras
Subway Ghost: Brandon Curry
Clara: Evette Marie White
Louise: Lydia Warr
Mrs. Santiago: Hana Freeman
Ortisha: Shannan E. Johnson

The Ensemble
Fernando Contreras, Brandon Curry, Hana Freeman, Shannan E. Johnson, Omar Garibay, Susan Leilani Gearou, Tony Johnson, Beth Stafford Laird, Ben Laxton, Jake Vander Linden, Michael McClure, Jack O'Brien, Andrea Rouch, Maria Cristina Slye, Lydia Warr, Evette Marie White

Swings
Susan Leilani Gearou, Tony Johnson

Dance Captain: Susan Leilani Gearou

Assistant Dance Captain: Tony Johnson

Crew
Director: Matthew Warchus
Associate Directors: Thomas Caruso and Paul Warwick Griffin
Musical Director: Matthew Smedal
Associate Costume Designer: Daryl Stone
Video & Projection Designers: Jon Driscoll and Michael Clark
Lighting: Hugh Vanstone and Joel Shier
Associate Scenic Designer: Paul Weimer
Additional Movement Sequences: Liam Steel
Sound Design: Bobby Aitken
Musical Arranger & Orchestrator: Christopher Nightingale
Illusions: Paul Kieve
Choreographer: Ashley Wallen

Orchestra
Music Director/Keys 1: Matthew Smedal
Associate Music Director/Keys 2: Jonathan W. Gorst
Clarinet/Soprano Sax/Bass Clarinet: Tom Colclough
Cello: Nick Donatelle
Guitar: Michael Karcher
Bass: Clifton Kellem
Drums: Christian Dionne
Music Coordinator: Talitha Fehr-TL Music International

Music Technology: Phil Adams


Photo: Joan Marcus


-- Richard T. Green