A couple moves into a new house, only to find that something sinister is keeping one of them up at night…
It’s an age-old story we’ve heard countless times, now brought to life onstage through a suspenseful and complex exploration of belief and the afterlife, with a twist that’ll keep you up at night.
The award-winning supernatural thriller, 2:22 A Ghost Story, usually only playing on London’s West End, is continuing its award-winning run spooking audiences across the country.
Written by Danny Robbins, the production is playing at The Lowry between the 4 and 15 June as part of its second tour across the country in under a year.
The story centres around a couple experiencing supernatural events at precisely 2:22am in their home, which doesn’t exactly sound like a new concept – we’ve all grown up on ghost stories about haunted houses.
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The familiar genre tropes are all here too; the believer and the skeptic. Throw in a suburban house under construction, halfway between its old and new self, a digital clock and strange noises through a baby monitor, each used as dramatic devices for building suspense throughout the script, and you’ve got yourself a setup audiences know like the back of their hand.
Except, 2:22 A Ghost Story’s writer knows this and uses this familiar setup to lead us into a false sense of security.
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2:22 A Ghost Story is a thriller play currently running at The Lowry theatre in Salford
The play takes place across one night, aside from its appropriately spooky opening, where two couples come together for a dinner party.
You have Jenny (Fiona Wade), a young mother who is convinced that her new house is haunted after strange occurrences happen at the same time every night; Jenny’s husband, Sam (George Rainsford), a man who values logic, reason and science above all else (even his own wife’s experiences), whose stubbornness causes much of the conflict throughout the play; Lauren (Vera Chok), an old friend of Sam’s and Ben (The Wanted’s Jay McGuiness); and Lauren’s partner.
Various jump scares create tension throughout, but it’s through the opposing beliefs and ideas of these characters that the tension grows more palpable.
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Across the evening the characters discuss their own personal accounts of the paranormal as they open up to one another. Fear and belief are the beating thematic heart of the play, themes that spur interesting and sometimes disturbing conversations about the afterlife that’ll linger with you long after the play finishes.
Masterfully directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr, 2:22A Ghost Story is not all spooky goings-on though. The supernatural thriller’s script is brought to life through an amazing cast that juggles suspenseful moments with comedy to lighten the predominantly moody atmosphere.
2:22 A Ghost Story is a thriller play currently running at The Lowry theatre in Salford
The plot unfolds at a steady pace, with each act revealing new layers of mystery. The pacing is well-balanced, allowing moments of intense drama to be interspersed with lighter, more reflective scenes.
A particularly memorable twist will leave you gobsmacked – the less said about this the better.
Whereas most plays centre themselves around the meaning of life and what it means to be human in one way or another, 2:22 A Ghost Story concerns itself more with the meaning of death and our relationship with it.
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“I read somewhere that humans are rational machines caught between irrational beliefs,” says one of the characters in the play’s final act. Themes of belief, fear, and the unknown are explored with nuance. The dialogue is sharp and thought-provoking, prompting us to question our perception of reality. The play’s exploration of these themes is both timely and timeless.
By intertwining moments of genuine terror with thought-provoking dialogue, 2:22 A Ghost Story transcends the typical ghost story. The play’s direction, script and cast all come together to create a powerful commentary on the limits of human understanding and the enduring mystery of what lies beyond. Its well-crafted plot, stellar performances, and high production values make it a must-see.
In the end, the play leaves us with more questions than answers, compelling us to confront the shadows in our own lives. It is a haunting reminder that sometimes, the most frightening ghosts are not the ones we see, but the ones that reside within us.
You can book tickets for 2:22 A Ghost Story at The Lowry here.
Featured image: Supplied
Theatre
Dear Evan Hansen at the Palace Theatre Manchester – a sensitive tale of teenage torment
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today is going to be a good day because you’re running at the Palace Theatre until the 22 February and the show is fantastic.
It has been a pretty tricky 10 years since the show first debuted, with Covid, worldwide unrest, wild fires, etc and the storylines that make up the fabric of the show are more prominent than ever before.
With music and lyrics written by the talented duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, famous for creating some of the most popular modern musicals of our time (La La Land and Greatest Showman), this show reaches heights well beyond the treetops of its rivals.
The show covers some quite sensitive topics including suicide, grief and mental health, which are all treated with compassion and gentle care whilst still being realistic and honest with the audience.
We follow the story of Evan Hansen (Ryan Kopel), a socially anxious teen who is trying to navigate high school, his mental health and trying to be noticed by those around him. His mum (Alice Fearn) is a single mother, trying to do right by her son whilst doing her best to create a life for them.
Evan has a run in with Connor Murphy (Will Forgrave who stepped in for Killian Lefevre), a troubled young man battling with a number of demons and fighting with his rich yet dysfunctional family played by Helen Anker (Cynthia Murphy – mum); Richard Hurst (Larry Murphy – dad); Lara Beth-Sas (Zoe Murphy – sister and stand-in for Laren Conroy). Connor finds a letter that Evan has written to himself that mentions his sister Zoe and causes him to spiral out of control.
It is Evan’s letter that his family finds on Connor when they discover that he has unfortunately taken his own life. This sets in motion a profusion of events that catapult Evan into the spotlight as his letter is mistaken for a deep friendship between the two. His “family friend” Jared (Tom Dickerson) encourages Evan to keep up the facade which really gets out of control when the well-meaning Alana (Vivian Panka) takes the school-wide movement of grief to new heights.
Dear Evan Hansen is in Manchester until 22 February 2025
Ryan’s portrayal of Evan is nothing short of magical. His anxious ticks are natural and respectful, pulling you in with compassion for his character and his timing is impeccable. His vocals are absolutely electrifying, every song is a power house, emotive performance with barely a dry eye in the entire audience, especially after the iconic “You will be found.”
Alice Fearn deserves a special mention for her depiction and performance as Heidi Hansen. Reflecting how many parents must feel in trying to do the best for their children and feeling like they always come up short. Her vocals were fantastic throughout, but her final solo song “So Big/So Small” had everyone weeping.
Not all the vocal performances were of a high calibre, but this is likely down to either first night nerves or just the unfortunate comparison to Ryan, Alice or Vivian. Some of the dancing by one or two of the ensemble also seemed slightly robotic, although as a previous treader of the boards myself, I know first-hand that some people just aren’t natural movers (myself included) and this doesn’t detract from the absolute spectacle that is this show.
The show is only on a short run, from 18 – 22 February at Palace Theatre, Manchester, so if you miss it, I recommend chasing it to another theatre on its UK Tour, you won’t regret it.
Audience members ejected from Dolly Parton musical in Manchester due to homophobic heckling
Daisy Jackson
The Manchester run of Here You Come Again, a new Dolly Parton musical comedy, has been repeatedly disrupted by vile homophobic heckling from the audience, its star has revealed.
Actor and West End star Steven Webb shared a video addressing the issue on TikTok, saying that audience members had to be ejected from the Manchester Opera House.
The star of the lively new musical, which tells the story of a diehard Dolly Parton fan and is packed with the country star’s biggest hits, said the cast had faced an ‘insane’ amount of homophobia.
Steven said they once had to do a full show stop in Manchester and leave the stage after one audience member was ‘disgusted that there was a gay character on stage’ and began shouting mid-show, causing ‘a ruckus’ in the audience.
He said: “It’s a Dolly Parton musical, it’s gonna be a little bit gay, obviously.”
Steven also said: “Travelling the country and seeing how many people literally cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage, it’s wild. I feel very sorry for them.”
The Manchester Opera House stressed that it has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to ‘bullying, harassment, or any form of abusive behaviour towards our cast, crew, or staff’.
The theatre, and its sister venue the Palace Theatre, said: “Our theatre team is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for everyone – both on and off the stage.
“Whilst these incidents are rare, we have a zero-tolerance policy to bullying, harassment, or any form of abusive behaviour towards our cast, crew, or staff. Anyone engaging in such conduct will be removed from the venue immediately.
Actor Steven Webb stars in Here You Come Again, a Dolly Parton musical, in Manchester. Credit: TikTok, @thatsteviewebb
“Thank you to all our theatre goers who continue to act with respect and kindness towards others.”
Steven said in his video: “The amount of audience members we have had to eject from our show due to homophobia is… insane. It is insane.
“Just this week in Manchester alone, last night we had to eject someone who was shouting out slurs, and on Wednesday we had to stop the whole show.
“We had to do an entire show stop and leave the stage, because a woman was so disgusted that there was a gay character on stage, and she was shouting out and then all the audience started shouting at her and then there was a sort of massive ruckus. So she eventually was ejected and we could start again, but we were stopped for 15 or 20 minutes.
“It’s crazy. It’s happening nearly every single week and it blows my mind. This is a Dolly Parton musical, first of all.
“It’s a Dolly Parton musical, it’s gonna be a little bit gay, obviously.
“It’s really opened my eyes, because we’re in such a bubble in this industry. But travelling the country and seeing how many people literally cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage, it’s wild. I feel very sorry for them.”
Dylan Whitty -
5th June 2024 
