2:22-A Ghost Story – Lyric Theatre, London

Writer: Danny Robins

Director: Matthew Dunster

2:22 A Ghost Story has become a bit of a West End phenomena. It only launched in 2021, but clever marketing and rather unusual casting choices have made it a headlin- grabbing must-see show. Now into its fifth cast and keeping with using some people not best known for acting (including, previously, Lilly Allen, Matt Wills and Laura Whitmore) Cheryl, of Girls Aloud fame, takes on the leading role of Jenny.

Ostensibly, 2:22 is a dinner party play, where all the action is centred around the party. Jenny and her husband Sam (Scott Karim) have recently moved into a new house, which they’re in the throes of renovating. They have also recently become parents to their firstborn, so their lives run around jumping to every noise coming from the baby monitor. Sam has just returned from a work trip abroad to find that, during his time away, his wife is convinced their house is haunted. At the same time each morning, 02:22, she hears someone walking in their baby’s bedroom.

Sam, a man of science, doesn’t believe in ghosts and provides other theories for what she’s been hearing. On this evening, Sam’s university friend Lauren (Louise Ford) and her latest beau, Ben (EastEnders’ Jake Wood), have been invited over for dinner and drinks. The evening starts out pleasant enough with idle chitchat and general catch-up conversations, but soon the topic of the ghost is raised and conversations get heated. Jenny is more and more convinced there’s a ghost and Sam is more and more forceful that they don’t exist. This argument spills out before you know it there’s a four-way argument on ghosts, spirituality, religion, science and more.

Dinner party plays are nothing new, and this fits perfectly into that mould, albeit within a mystical wrapping. Confining the action to a single room helps build up a claustrophobic sense of tension and confinement. As the party alcohol flows, inhibitions fall and so relationships are exposed. Contrary opinions rapidly turn into full-blown arguments and the general discussion rapidly moves into more personal attacks.

Add to this the spectre of a ghost and you have everything you need for a nail-biting, edge of your seat, fright fest. And while it tries, it really doesn’t deliver. The script is surprisingly witty and fast paced but lacks any subtlety. The characters are rather two-dimensional and so their respective response to the increasing argument feels frustratingly contrived. The jump from general conversation to all-out verbal war happens very quickly and the show becomes an over-the-top shouting match. Very little of what’s said in the second half is delivered in less than a shout.

Sam, the ghost sceptic, is so incensed that his wife could possibly consider a supernatural that he flares into a full-blown rage at what seems a trivial statement. His wife is obviously scared and very worried, yet he verbally attacks and demeans her. It comes across as cruel and is quite annoying to watch. Lauren and Ben exacerbate it by taking sides, Lauren in defence of her friend Sam and Ben, with his own paranormal experience, sides with Jenny. In one of the more farcical moments, Ben’s disclosure of having experienced a ghost, seems to have made him experienced enough to hold a full-on séance in the dining room.

2:22 is pitched as a thriller and is marketed on the fear potential. Whilst there’s certainly tension throughout the show, there’s little to be frightened of. The show is littered with jumps scares that, after the first couple become an annoyance, especially as the scares rarely have anything to do with the ghost or the key characters.

Much talk of this iteration of the show will focus on the new cast and Cheryl in particular. The cast as a whole deliver sterling performances and Cheryl holds her own particularly well. Whilst her delivery is, at times, a little flat she starts to shine as the play progresses and emotions start to become exaggerated. As Jenny’s fears and anger increases Cheryl looks more comfortable and is more engaging in the role.

Cheryl is likely to bring a whole new audience to this show which will certainly lead to an extended run and another, possibly with an equally surprising cast change. It is just a shame that this really doesn’t live up to its hype.

Booking until 23 April 2023