Ghost: The Musical

     There are some movies that just sing to you. While you are watching them, the characters seem to cry out "Please, write me a song!". I believe that Ghost is one of those films. Why then, did Ghost: The Musical fail miserably? In this case when the characters cried out "Please, write me a song!", they should have been more specific.

     As most of us probably know, Ghost follows the story of Molly, an Artist, and Sam an investment banker. Sam is brutally murdered within the first 20 minutes, and sets out on an after death quest to solve his murder and protect the woman he loves from those set out to do her harm. Along the way he enlists the help of phony medium Oda Mae Brown, who turns out to be more than the fake she always thought she was. It's a love story that has very human, relate able characters.

    Unfortunately, the music is terrible. That statement is a little bit unfair. The music is actually not terrible. Glen Ballard, has composed the music and lyrics, with lyrical assists from Bruce Joel Rubin and Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics). If these songs existed on a different plain, say, the radio, then they would be catchy if not forgettable tunes. The trouble is that barely any of the music fits the moment in the show that it was composed for.

     When characters in a musical start to sing, whatever comes out of their mouths should stylistically fit the emotional mood of the scene. This is hardly, ever the case with the characters in Ghost. Some of the music is in fact entirely unneeded.

     Having a score that isn't write for the show is one of the problems, the largest problem, however there are others. The "special theatrical effects" are at times breath taking, but for the most part the entire stage is mucked up with bright lights and ridiculous staging. Matthew Warchus, who is usually a smart director, has staged things so chaotically that at times it doesn't even make sense.

     The actors are all very capable, they have lovely voices and are doing the best they can with the material that has been given to them. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is of course the stand out as Oda Mae Brown. She is the only actor who comes close to matching the memory of the person who came before her on screen.

    Which leads us to another problem. This is a film that is still exceptionally fresh in peoples minds. It's an iconic film, with iconic performances from some of America's favorite actors. Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore, and of course Patrick Swayze. While it's certainly not fair to compare those performances with their stage counterparts, it's also not fair to say that they are not in our minds as we are watching the play. It was just too soon for audiences to accept new interpretations of these performances.

   Of course, if the book and the music has been wonderful none of these other things would have mattered. Ghost: The Musical closed on Broadway at The Lunt-Fontaine Theater on August 18, 2012 after 136 performances. The show is still playing on London through the month of October. No national tour has been announced.