Theatre Reviews & Features {module ad_left_body}RICHARD FLEESHMAN (Sam Wheat) originated the role of Sam in both the West End and world premier Manchester productions of Ghost The Musical. He first came to the public’s attention as a youngster, when he played Craig Harris in “Coronation Street.” Other television credits include: “Blue Murder,” “Monday Monday,” “Midsomer Murders,” Jimmy McGovern’s “Moving On,” and Kyle Caddick in Debbie Horsfield’s six-part drama series “All the Small Things.” Radio work includes: “When Twilight Falls” (Radio 4). Film: An Angel for May. After signing with Universal Records, Richard released his debut album and went on to complete three stadium tours supporting Sir Elton John around the UK and Europe. He has also collaborated with Sir Elton, writing and performing the soundtrack of All the Small Things. Last year, Richard made his West End debut playing Warner as part of the original cast of Legally Blonde (Savoy). Ghost will mark Richard’s Broadway debut.
CAISSIE LEVY (Molly Jensen) Caissie originated the role of Molly in both the West End and world premier Manchester productions of Ghost The Musical. Most recently, she starred as Sheila in the 2009 Tony Award winning Broadway revival of Hair, reprising her role in the subsequent West End transfer. Other Broadway credits include: Elphaba in Wicked (Los Angeles, Broadway u/s); Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Broadway, first national tour); and Maureen in Rent (national tour). In concert, she was a guest soloist for The United States Military Academy at West Point. Recordings include the original London cast album of Ghost The Musical and the Grammy Award nominated cast recording of Hair, from which her rendition of “Easy to be Hard” was named USA Today’s Pick of the Week. www.caissielevy.com
BRYCE PINKHAM (Carl Bruner). Broadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Lincoln Center: Knickerbocker Holiday (with Kelli O’Hara, Victor Garber and the American Symphony Orchestra. Off-Broadway: Orphans’ Home Cycle (Signature Theater/Hartford Stage); Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Public Lab).Regional: A Funny Thing Happened..., Our Town, Beyond Therapy (Williamstown); A View From The Bridge (Guthrie Theater); All’s Well That Ends Well, Woman Of No Importance (Yale Rep); The Just, Much Ado About Nothing (Chautauqua Theatre Co.); Dublin Carol (Nora Theatre). TV: “God In America,” “The Good Wife.” Bryce is a proud collaborator with Theater of War, aprogram that performs Greek tragedy for American military audiences; his latest trips were to Guantanamo Bay and Japan. Awards: Oliver Thorndike Acting Award and Lotte Lenya Singing Scholarship. Education: M.F.A., Yale School of Drama; B.A., Boston College.
DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH (Oda Mae Brown) Da’Vine Joy Randolph, a Philadelphia native makes her Broadway debut inGhost. She received her bachelor’s from Temple University in classical vocal performance and transitioned into acting by attending Yale School ofDrama for her Masters. Other regional credits include Servant of TwoMasters at Yale Repertory Theater and HAIR at Prince Music Theater.
Tickets to Ghost The Musical will go on sale to the general public on Monday, December 5th. Ticket prices will range from $57 to $137 (including a $2 facility fee). Premium tickets will also be available. The performance schedule during previews will be as follows: Monday – Saturday evenings at 8pm and Saturdays at 2pm. Beginning, Tuesday, April 24th, the performance schedule will be as follows: Mondays at 8pm, Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesday – Saturday at 8pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm.
This new musical is directed by Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing) and choreographed by Ashley Wallen (The X Factor, Kylie Minogue). Ghost The Musical is created by a team of Grammy and Academy Award winners, with a brand new, original score by Dave Stewart (half of the multi-Grammy Award winning Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson's Man In The Mirror, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill), with a book by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost, Jacob’s Ladder, The Time Traveler’s Wife), who has adapted his Academy Award winning original screenplay for the stage. This brand new score also includes the iconic song “Unchained Melody,” famously performed in the film by The Righteous Brothers.
Complete Broadway casting will be announced at a later date.
Set in modern day New York City, Ghost The Musical is 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.
Set and costume designs are by Rob Howell, with musical supervision and arrangements by Christopher Nightingale, illusions by Paul Kieve, lighting design by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Bobby Aitken, and projection design by Jon Driscoll.
Ghost The Musicalis being produced on Broadway by Colin Ingram Productions Limited and Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle,Adam Silberman, Donovan Mannato, Michael Edwards & Carole Winter in association with Paramount Pictures Corporation.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in 1990, Ghost became a blockbuster hit and an instant classic, winning numerous awards worldwide. The film starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker. Bruce Joel Rubin’s script won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown.
Ghost opened in London’s West End at the Piccadilly Theatre on July 19, 2011 and has moved audiences to cheers and tears nightly ever since. Here’s what the critics said:
“****”
Daily Express, Metro, The London Times, Time Out, Daily Telegraph,
Bloomberg News, The Sun, OK! Magazine
“A dazzling display of undying love – resistance is futile!”
- The Times of London
“Magical! Ghost looks set to keep audiences laughing,
gasping and holding back tears for a long time to come.”
- Daily Telegraph
“A new West End hit has landed. Gleaming stage-craft,
full-throttle heartache and beguiling special effects."
- Time Out
“Gasp-inducing ingenuity and technical wizardry make
Ghost The Musical an unearthly hit!”
- Evening Standard
“Genuinely moving, brilliantly funny!”
- Sunday Telegraph
“Simply out of this world!”
- The Sun
“Genuine theatrical magic!”
- Front Row, BBC Radio 4
“A production of spectacular visual dynamism!”
- Independent
“A visual sensation that thrills, amazes and pulls at the heart strings.
Ghost should run for years and years to come!”
- OK! Magazine
