The Mayflower in Southampton has really upped its game in recent years getting big West End shows pretty much as soon as they finish. In the past they have had Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde and next year will play host to Dirty Dancing and the phenomenal Wicked.
I prefer The Mayflower, only a 40 minute drive, compared to the long journey to London it is great to show these shows come locally.
As a massive fan of the film Ghost I was thrilled when I heard it was coming to the Mayflower as I was gutted to have missed it in London.
On the website Ghost is described as - a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.
The 1990 film starred Demi Moore as Molly, Patrick Swayze as Sam and Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae. It pulls at the heartstrings and every time I watch the film I cry so I was pretty sure the musical would do the same.
With films into musicals I am always a little dubious as to how they will come off Legally Blonde worked amazingly well, and when I found out that Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics I had high hopes.
The only song really I knew would be there was Unchained Melody, the stand out song of the film.
So the musical...beautifully set and just a fantastic production, the transitions from person to ghost with the body still on stage was seamless and I still don't understand how they did it. It was a very clever production and the stage was amazing with the beginning whizzing you through the streets of New York.
The musical captures the magic of the film perfectly and the songs fit perfectly in this new mould.
It is always going to be hard to match the actors who were in the film but each actor played their part well and made it their own, the fact that Molly has blonde curly hair rather than a short brown crop instantly distinguishes the two actresses and you almost forget that someone else every played the role.
The stand out character and actress for me though was Wendy Mae Brown who plays Oda Mae Brown. In quite a heavy story line she adds welcomed light relief and has an amazing voice to carry the songs home.
When we went to watch another actress was playing the role of Molly - Amy Webb, who was excellent, it makes you wonder why she wasn't given the part in the first place.
Finally Sam was played by Stewart Clarke and although no legendary Swayze he really made you connect with Sam and feel his pain at dying way before his time.
This musical is just brilliant and really adds another dimension to an already popular and fantastic film. I really think if you love the film you will be hard pushed to hate this musical.
And before you ask yes I did cry at the end...
To find out more visit - http://www.ghostthemusical.com/
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