Strictly pair Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton shine in spooky show which keeps you gripped until the very end - 2:22 A Ghost Story review
There are not many shows I have seen where I instantly want to watch it again – but 2:22 A Ghost Story definitely falls into that category.
The global phenomenom – written by Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcasts Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist – hit the Hawth this week and wowed the audience on it’s opening night.
The problem is, I can’t really tell you why it wowed them – and I can’t tell you why I want to see it again instantly, but it is definitely a play the less you know about it before seeing it, the better.
I can tell you the basic plot. Jenny (Stacey Dooley) believes her new home is haunted, but her sceptical husband Sam (Kevin Clifton) isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren (Shvorne Marks) and new partner Ben (Grant Kilburn). Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up until 2:22 and then they’ll know. But that’s all your getting from me.
What I can tell you is it’s worth seeing for pure suspense, tension and intrigue it builds during the two-hour run time. Dooley and Clifton show they aren’t just great dance partners (they won Strictly remember!), sparks definitely fly when they are sparring on stage as the squabbling couple. And Kilburn and Marks hold their own as the plot moves one – and thickens. Together the cast create a compelling dynamic.
The clever staging, lighting, sound (I will hear those foxes in my sleep tonight...), special effects, distractions and conversations keep you guessing until the very end but the pay off will have you talking – and debating – for hours after the curtains close.
There are laughs – mainly from Kilburn’s builder Ben – and it’s good to have that light relief when’s there is so much edge-of your-seat suspense. And if Monday’s audience is anything to go by, you will be jumping off the edge of your seat.
2:22 A Ghost Story has been a worldwide success and easy to to see why. There’s a lot of suspense, a lot of tension, a lot of chills, a lot of scares, a lot laughs and A LOT to talk about – but I just can’t.
Extra information
ACCESS PERFORMANCES Audio Described Performance: Sat 8 November 2.30pm; BSL Interpreted Performance: Sat 8 November 2.30pm; Captioned Performance: Sat 8 November 2.30pm
Age Suitability: 12+
Duration: 120 minutes (including interval)
2:22 A Ghost Story is on at The Hawth until Saturday November 8. Visit https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/the-hawth/whats-on/222-a-ghost-story to book or for more information.