Ian Cheeseman steps into the world of NK Theatre Arts’ ambitious production of Ghost the Musical, where a passionate cast and creative ingenuity promise to bring the beloved film to life on stage. With great music, brilliant effects, and standout performances, this local theatre gem is set to capture audiences at the Forum Theatre in May
If you were lucky enough to see Ghost the Musical, when it had it’s World Premiere at Manchester’s Opera House (where else!) in 2011, like I was, then you will have marvelled at the special effects of the professional show. It’s a show based on the film which starred Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze and tells the story of Sam, a murdered banker who is determined to save his girlfriend Molly from the person who killed him. As a ghost his only way of doing this is with the help of psychic Oda Mae Brown.
The film’s most iconic scene is when Sam sits behind Molly at the potter’s wheel as Unchained Melody is played, but I’m assuming the scenes where Sam jumps into a moving subway train were the biggest technical challenge. When I went along to rehearsals of NK Theatre Arts Am/Dram production of the show, I wondered how they would achieve those effects on a much smaller budget. They didn’t tell me. I guess I’ll have to see for myself when it runs at the Forum Theatre in Romiley from May 21-24.
I have no doubt the show will be brilliant because the music is written by Dave Stewart, the song writer of the Eurythmics and Glen Ballard, who co-wrote Back to the Future the Musical plus every production I see by NK Theatre arts has been outstanding.
At the rehearsal I met Joy, known as Jocelyn Knight as a singer. She is playing Oda Mae Brown, “I feel very honoured to be playing this role because I absolutely adore Whoopi Goldberg. The film was just amazing and really spoke to my heart. I think you have to be in love with the character to play it well and that’s when you’re able to give your best. It’s actually my first time, out front, doing acting as opposed to singing, which is mainly what I do. I have been in other productions in the background but never centre stage like this one. The only thing that gives me a little bit of anxiety is learning my lines, but I have no concerns about being on the stage itself.”
Matt will be playing the role of Sam, “For me, it’s become a running joke that I’ve never seen the film and now I’m refusing to see it. Generally, if I’m playing a part that’s inspired by someone else, I prefer not to see it because I feel like you can get coloured in your performance and just end up copying someone. I did see it on stage but I’m just trying to bring my own ideas to it and then I’ll watch the film afterwards. I have seen the pottery scene from the film and if I can by that sexy then that will be great.
NK Theatre arts is a real hub of activity and when I went, to find out more about Ghost, there were simultaneous rehearsals taking place for the comedy play One Man Two Guvnors. Darren Stannage plays Francis, “I’d never seen the show so didn’t know anything about it until I read the script. I haven’t done anything like this for quite a while and it does take something special to spark my interest. It’s hilarious, so here I am. It’s a farce set in the 1950s with a lot of audience interaction.”
You might recognise Darren’s surname, his father is James Stannage, who became notorious as a late night DJ on Piccadilly Radio in years gone by, “Maybe it was inevitable that I went into this career. My Dad was involved here too, he was in Educating Rita and played Fagin in Oliver so maybe it was destiny. My role here is managing the organisation and so my priority is to make sure the doors are open for the young people in the community. There’s so much going on at the heart of community theatre and we’re so lucky in Stockport, there are so many theatres. The shared values that we all have are so important and Stockport and Greater Manchester are such creative hubs.”
Ghost the Musical is at Romiley Forum May 21-24 and One Man Two Guvnors is at the same venue from 9th to 11th April – tickets can by booked on 0333-666-3366 or via the website www.theforumtheatre.co.uk