A BIT like the now legendary ‘The Woman in Black ‘the chiller-thriller’ 2:22 A Ghost Story has an impressive word of mouth following.
It has played to packed West End houses for quite a few seasons since its premier at the Noel Coward Theatre just at the end of Covid. Since then, it has played in Australia and the USA and toured the UK several times, the latest of which arrived at the Grand Wolverhampton last night, where, as a first timer, I looked forward to seeing if the hype walked the walk.
It is undoubtedly a clever piece of writing from Danny Robins, combined with astute direction from Mathew Dunster and Gabriel Vega Weissman who together manage to merge all the spookiness of a modern supernatural TV serial with the feel of a traditional ghost story. There are certainly chills, lots of doubt and dollops of jeopardy. There are penultimate blind alleys and a massive ultimate twist which we are asked not to reveal in our reviews – so I will of course keep the faith but just say ‘who’d have thought it?!’.
Designer Anna Fleischle’s set almost breaks the fourth wall as from the moment you take your seat in the auditorium, you feel like you’re in the huge Victorian living room which owners Sam and Jenny are renovating. The huge peeling walls look oh so real as does the wooden floor and stained-glass hallway door. Then there’s the formidable digital clock mounted above the doorway and counting down to the potential Armageddon of 2:22.
Picture by Helen Murray. s
Shvorne Marks gives a compelling and believable performance as Jenny who is convinced their home is haunted, whilst James Bye is equally gripping as her husband Sam – an off-the-scale sceptic when it comes to ghosts.
Grant Kilburn nails the cockney wideboy wackiness of dinner guest Ben the builder, the ultimate believer in all things occult and Natalie Casey shines as Lauren, a Californian physiotherapist and unlikely partner of Ben.
The plot is simple – late night debate turning into a vigil and then a ‘Blythe Spirit’ style Séance as the clock ticks towards 2:22. Believers battle sceptics and as the edges blur, your mind gets pulled in different directions as we too are invited to make choices as to what is real and what is, well, play acting!
The pace of the performance is constant with Robins clever dialogue adding colour and comedy which is a good balance to the scary bits. Lucy Carter’s lighting design works in combination with Ian Dickinson’s sound to keep the hairs on the back of your neck performing Olympian feats as the evening ticks on. Add Chris Fisher’s illusions to the melting pot and there you have it – hype justified.
Like all good thrillers the clues are there from the start – it’s recognising them that’s the problem, which is why I’ll definitely be a 2:22 returner watching through wiser eyes whilst of course remaining a custodian of its secrets – what goes on tour, stays on tour!
2:22 A Ghost Story runs at the Wolverhampton Grand until Saturday, May 23. Click here for times, tickets and more information.
