To put a ghost story on stage has always seemed like quite the task to me. To immerse a large auditorium in a suspenseful atmosphere that could be broken so easily by the simple rustling of a bag of Maltesers, while also providing a story that is relevant and poignant enough to deserve a place on a prestigious stage, and all this whilst also providing what the audience wants; to believe in ghosts (even if just for those two hours). It’s always seemed like a giant, near impossible task to get perfectly right, but what I witnessed tonight in 2:22 A Ghost Story definitely hit a few of those spots dead on.

The play is less a ghost story, as it is a question. Do ghosts exist? A question humanity has been asking for generation upon generation, and this play tackles many elements of those questions, even having a scene where our four characters debate different elements of the supernatural. It really felt like the play was, unapologetically, coming from a twenty-first century perspective on old beliefs surrounding the supernatural.

This is further enhanced by the inclusion of Alexa, which serves a stronger purpose than simply a bit of comic relief.

You may imagine the need of many stage effects to tell this story effectively, but in reality, there’s only a couple used throughout the show, and only one moment of truly haunting behaviour. I do think this was slightly too sparing and could have done with another spooky climax, but still, the play really held suspense and there were little moments I felt disengaged.

The real treat comes at the end, where all is revealed… and, similar to the famous The Mousetrap, the show prompts you to keep the secret. A very satisfying secret. A standout performance was given by James Buckle (Jay in the Inbetweeners), who provided many laughs out load moments which helped break the tension at the right times, and lift the play away from a deep mundanity, that would be easy to fall subject to.

Stacey Dooley brought a tender performance, with some really touching moments of subtext, really showing how far a mother would go for her child. It was really grounded, and she held a strong sense of the narrative throughout. Donna Air, really shone in the role of Lauren. She brought a characterful presentation of perfection, with glimmers of a damaged past. She was eccentric, terrifying, and deep.

Joe McFadden brought a sense of pretentiousness, which made his character enjoyably dislikable. He was slightly melodramatic and felt slightly outside of the world the other players were living in, but on the flip side, this helped carry the rhythm, and gave the whole cast a sense of individualism.
Did this play give us anything we have not seen before? Did it reinvent the genre?

Was it the best ghost story to ever hit our stage? None of these things. It’s a commercial hit, with some big names, and if you’re looking for a night out with your friends or family and want a solid story with some shocks across the way, then this is a perfect play for you. 2:22 A Ghost Story is a modern ghost story, that really begs the question, how do ghosts fit into our modern world?

⭐️⭐️⭐