Writer: Danny Robins
Directors: Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr
“Please don’t give away the ending,” Alfred Hitchcock famously implored as part of the publicity for Psycho, “it’s the only one we have”. This of course created two positive effects: the twist ending was a guarded secret, and people clamoured to see the film so they could be part of the crowd who were in the know. Similar tactics are used in theatre and perhaps go somewhere to explain the ongoing success of The Moustrap, however this also makes reviewing such pieces a tricky proposition.
Hugely successful since its debut in 2021, 2:22 A Ghost Story is a solid enough play that raises some interesting points about science versus spirituality, gentrification and family dynamics. However, that is not what the crowds are here to see. Like kids around a campfire, or the queue for a rollercoaster, they want to be scared, thrilled and perhaps a little shocked. Does this deliver? Arguably yes, but with a few caveats.
New mother Jenny (Louisa Lytton) and husband Sam (Nathaniel Curtis) are having a dinner party in their new home, an old, dated house that they are in the process of renovating. The guests are Sam’s old college friend Lauren (Charlene Boyd) and her latest boyfriend Ben (Joe Absolom). And so the stage is set for frank discussions and revealed secrets, not to mention the apparent presence of a ghost that Jenny is convinced has started to visit her baby’s room at 2:22 every night.
Ignoring the paranormal aspect for a moment, 2:22 A Ghost Story offers a strong script for the cast of four. It allows each character time to develop and for the dynamics of both individuals and the whole group to be believable and interesting. It also raises some interesting points and questions that go beyond the spooky central premise and poke at today’s cultural attitudes and how we view the past, all while the relationships between the characters is slowly unwrapped. In fact this often feels like a Mike Leigh play with an added haunting (“Abi-ghoul’s Party?”). For the most part the momentum of the piece is sustained, and the presence of a large digital clock on the wall slowly counting down to the titular time is an excellent builder of tension. Meanwhile Anna Fleischle’s impressive set grounds everything with a strong sense of reality.
Of course the main questions are “is this scary” and “is the twist good”? The script does manage to deliver some genuine chills throughout. That said, the directors/producers clearly don’t think that chills are enough in this day and age, and while the addition of sudden screeching audio stings and flashing lights for every scene transition does indeed make the audience jump every single time, it feels like a cheap gimmick. The twist is good and makes a lot of what went before open to reassessment, but it is also derivative of many other ghost stories (some extremely famous) and anyone paying attention should realise what is going to happen well before the clock reaches 2:22 (this reviewer had it sussed half way into the first act). This doesn’t take away from the strength of the script, but could potentially be disappointing to anyone who has ever watched more than a couple of films involving ghosts. That said, it is testament to Robins’ script and the performances of the cast that the denouement still manages to hit the required emotional beat.
2:22 A Ghost Story is a fun (and often funny) two hours in the dark. It pretty much delivers what it promises but ultimately feels like a modern phenomenon that won’t have the perennial lasting power of something like The Woman in Black. Still, while its still haunting our theatres, it’s worth checking out.
Runs until 23rd September 2023.
The Reviews Hub Score
Somewhat Spooky
