The supernatural power of love will take Australia by storm when the Broadway and West End hit Ghost The Musical, adapted from the Academy Award-winning film, premieres at the Adelaide Festival Centre on 8 January 2016 before touring nationally.
Set in modern day New York City, Ghost The Musical is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night after a romantic dinner, Sam Wheat and Molly Jensen are mugged, leaving Sam dead on a dark street.
Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly, whom he learns is in grave danger. With the help of Oda Mae Brown, a phony storefront psychic, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.
Ghost The Musical is directed by Tony Award-winner Matthew Warchus who has most recently brought Matilda to the stage in Australia as well as other hits God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing) and choreographed Ashley Wallen (“The X Factor”, Kylie Minogue, Seal, Madonna’s film WE). Illusions are created by leading stage and film illusionist, Paul Kieve (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Matilda the Musical).
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in 1990, Ghost became a blockbuster hit and an instant classic, winning numerous awards worldwide. The film starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker. Bruce Joel Rubin’s script won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown.
The musical features book and lyrics by Academy Award winner Bruce Joel Rubin and original music and lyrics by a team of Grammy Award-winners, including Dave Stewart (half of the multi-Grammy Award-winning Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill). The score also includes the iconic song Unchained Melody, written by Hy Zaret and Alex North and famously performed in the film by The Righteous Brothers.
Employing special effects never before seen in an on-stage musical, Ghost The Musical features an incredible array of illusions – Sam, as a ghost, walks through a solid door, inanimate objects take on a life of their own while spirits ascend to the heavens and subway passengers are thrown in the air and people disappear and reappear right before your eyes.
Ghost The Musical premiered in Manchester in 2011 before transferring to the West End and later Broadway. It has been enjoyed by over a million people worldwide and nominated for numerous awards including five Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards.
“A production of spectacular visual dynamism. Brilliant visuals and special effects. Seamlessly inventive.” – Independent, UK
Ghost The Musical
Festival Theatre – Adelaide Festival Centre, King William St, Adelaide
Season from 8 January 2016
Bookings: 13 12 46 or online at www.bass.net.au
Regent Theatre, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne
Season from Friday 5 February 2016
Bookings: 13 61 00 or www.ticketmaster.com.au
Theatre Royal, 108 King Street, Sydney
Season from Friday 18 March 2016
Bookings: 13 61 00 or www.ticketmaster.com.au
Crown Theatre, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood
Season from 21 May 2016
Bookings: 13 61 00 or www.ticketmaster.com.au
Tickets on sale Monday 21 September 2015 (except Perth – waitlist now). For more information, visit: www.ghostthemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Ghost The Musical – photo from UK production