Interview with stars of Ghost the Musical at Bradford Alhambra

This was a story about loss and grief. It was also a memorable comedy - earning Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar for her portrayal of pohney pyschic Oda Mae.

Now Ghost is a stage musical - heading for Bradford this month - and Rebekah Lowings, who plays Molly, says it’s “an ode to the movie”.

“Lots of the script has been taken from the film and Bob Tomson, our director, has done an incredible job at making sure we stay truthful to the spirit of it,” adds Rebekah.

Bruce Joel Rubin adapted his Oscar-winning screenplay for the stage and has written the lyrics, while the music is by Eurythmics star and Brit winner Dave Stewart and Grammy-winning songwriter Glen Ballard. “So it’s like the film on stage, but heightened tenfold by the incredible music,” says Rebekah. “People come to see it because they love the movie and they leave going ‘The music is amazing’.”

Rebekah, whose theatre credits include My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music, adds: “I relish the responsibility of being able to portray grief because it connects you so intensely with the audience, especially post-pandemic when there is an awful lot of grief in the world. Making sure that it is truthfully portrayed and done with a duty of care is important to me.”

When her boyfriend, Sam, is killed by a mugger on the street in front of her, Molly is lost in grief. Trapped between this world and the next, Sam enlists the help of store-front psychic Oda Mae Brown to make contact with Molly and warn her that she’s in danger.

Heartbreak and grief are key themes in the show. “But there’s also such joy and hope,” Rebekah points out. “And the comedy between Sam and Oda Mae is genius.”

Ghost was the highest-grossing film in 1990. Rebekah recalls seeing it and being obsessed with Demi Moore: “She played Molly so incredibly truthfully, that’s something I try hard to bring to every performance.”

The show includes the movie’s most famous scene - Molly and Sam’s erotically-charged pottery session. While the Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody remains, the rest of score is original compositions.

Josh St Clair, who plays Sam, says: “People who come to see the show will be pleasantly surprised by how true it is to the film. A lot of the dialogue is very similar and they’ll see a lot of their favourite moments on stage. But then it has this brilliant rock-pop score, with some heart-wrenching ballads and some upbeat tunes.”

Josh says Sam goes on an “epic journey and it’s fun to portray that every night because you go through a lot of different emotional states. There’s a kindness to him, everyone respects him. He knows that he and Molly are meant to be together. When that gets taken away from him he’s determined to protect her and to tell her that he loves her, which he didn’t say when he was alive.”

Josh St Clair as Sam and Rebekah Lowings as Molly in the iconic pottery scene (Image: Alastair Muir)

Josh, whose theatre work includes Frozen The Musical, Kinky Boots and School of Rock, says Sam is the most challenging role he’s had. “It’s also probably the most rewarding because it’s about trying to connect with loved ones and negotiating grief. I don’t take lightly the effect that this show and the story has on people,” he says.

Has he drawn from Patrick Swayze’s performance in the film? “I’m definitely not doing a Patrick Swayze impersonation. It’s very much my own, but he’s brilliant in the film, so there are things in his performance I’ve tried to steal from,” says Josh. “I’m taking inspiration from him then putting my stamp on it.”

Why is it such a beloved story? “I think it’s timeless,” says Josh. “It’s a love story and everyone can connect with that, but it’s also a thriller and it has supernatural elements.”

Jacqui Dubois’ resumé includes The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz and Rent. Playing Oda Mae in Ghost is, she says, “right up there” among her best roles to date. “I love playing Oda Mae because she says what’s on her mind, which most of us don’t do, and I find that refreshing,” says Jacqui. “She’s very funny, she’s an absolute riot to play. But there are serious moments too. She’s spent her whole life conning people, then suddenly it’s really happening and she’s totally disoriented by the whole experience.”

Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for her portrayal of Oda Mae in the movie. Jacqui is “going by the brilliant script” rather than impersonating Whoopi. The musical, she says, brings the story to a new audience of musical theatre-goers. “Yet it remains a universal story. It’s about love conquering everything, it covers the full array of feelings.”

Jacqui is a fan of the score and lyrics, which reference much of the film’s dialogue: “I love performing I’m Outta Here because it tells you what Oda Mae is thinking and the dreams she’s dreaming.”

Jacqui says the show has a profound effect on audiences: “Every night, you hear the audience laughing and crying. It’s cathartic to sort of share the grief we all have if we’ve lost someone. The message is that the love you have for people you lose doesn’t just go away and you should be thankful that you’ve had that kind of love in your life.”

Les Dennis is on double duty as Hospital Ghost - “a fun character Sam meets after he’s been killed” - and Lionel Ferguson, a banker Oda Mae comes across in her bid to help Sam. Says Les: “We all experience grief, we all lose somebody. It’s a story that deals with death, which some people might think is an uncomfortable thing to deal with but it’s something we should all talk about.”

Jacqui Dubois with Les Dennis (Image: Alastair Muir)

But, he says, the show is far from a downer: “It’s a great thriller and a comedy. And the music is fantastic. The songs push the story along in a different way to traditional musicals.”

The actor, comic and TV presenter has been in the business for more than 50 years and is blown away by the technologically complex show: “There are incredible illusions that I had to watch over and over before I sussed out how they were done. When I’m backstage I go ‘Oh, that’s how that works’.”

It is the story that affects him most though: “Even during rehearsals I was in tears. But it’s also uplifting, with the idea that these two people who love each other get to meet again.”

Adds Les, with a smile: “Lots of men come along under sufferance with their wives and they’re bowled over by it.”

* Ghost the Musical runs at the Alhambra from October 29 to November 2. Call (01274) 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk