ARTS | Broadway musical brings romantic fantasy to life

As the backstage technicians are set to roll out compelling illusions and dazzling stage effects, “Ghost” – a Broadway musical that tells a love story that transcends death and mortality – is opening its curtains at the Macau Cultural Center (CCM) this evening on the last stop of its Asian tour.
Based on the 1990 hit romantic thriller by the same screenwriter, Bruce Joel Rubin, the musical closely follows the plot of the film. Nevertheless, the writer, who had never composed lyrics before, carved out a score of twenty songs that enable the show to probe the characters’ inner lives, their hearts and souls, in a way the film did not.
Actor Liam Doyle, who plays the leading role, Sam the “ghost,” told local media ahead of the stage run that the audience can expect to see a remake of the film, but with a modern touch.
“Everything is there from the film you love, but it’s such a beautiful story and it’s so well sold onstage, so I think it’s irrelevant whether you’ve seen the film a hundred times like an enthusiast or have only seen it once like I have,” he stressed.
The story begins when Sam is murdered and becomes a ghost trapped between this world and the next. He then discovers that his girlfriend, Molly, is in danger, and he must find a way to communicate with her. Sam enlists the help of a phony psychic to avenge his death and protect Molly.
“If you’ve seen the film, there are certain things you would expect from the musical. The questions we always get asked: Did Sam walk through a solid door? Does Molly get to see Sam again by the end of the story? And is it believable that he is a ghost? If we don’t include those elements, I think people will be disappointed,” said the actress who plays Molly, Lucie Jones.
Complementing the music, a set of cutting–edge technology and stage magic has been designed by the same illustrator as the Harry Potter and Hugo films – Paul Kieve. Amongst all sorts of eye-catching special effects, the show’s most eye-popping moment is when Sam walks through a solid door.
“It’s absolutely mind-blowing. I’m just kind of, ‘ok, I’m walking through the door now,’ I don’t really think about it. And then all the audience is like, ‘oh my god!’ going crazy,” Liam Doyle told the media. “It’s probably one of my favorite bits about doing the show, because everyone wants to try and perform magic when they are kids, and when you get to do it onstage in front of thousands of people every night, it’s incredible.”
Ms Jones also acknowledged that the audience’s reaction to the illusions is “one of the things [they] love so much about doing the show.” “People don’t expect it to be so enthralling, because when you watch a film, they can use all sorts of production magic tricks, you don’t expect it to be able to happen in real life,” she explained.
“The audience know that Sam is a ‘ghost’: he looks different, he appears in a blue light every time he appears on stage as a ghost. I’m based on a warm, golden light, and I stand next to Sam who instead is in a cold, blue light. It’s very clear that he’s a ‘ghost.’ I do get chills occasionally,” the actress noted and demonstrated taking a chilled, deep breath. “It’s moments, it just gets to you every time, every time, and we can see people in the audience being moved by what we do as well,” she said.