GHOST: The Musical Opens In Manchester Tonight Prior To West End Run

Prior to a West End run opening summer 2011, Ghost The Musical will have a strictly limited 7 week season at the Opera House, Manchester, running from 28 March - 14 May 2011.  

Matthew Warchus' production of the Academy award winning film Ghost has music and lyrics by Grammy® award winning Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. Oscar® winning Bruce Joel Rubin will adapt his original screen play for the stage and write lyrics. Set and costumes designs are by Rob Howell, musical supervision and arrangements by Christopher Nightingale, illusions are by Paul Kieve, with lighting by Hugh Vanstone and sound by Simon Baker.

The cast includes Richard Fleeshman (Sam Wheat), Caissie Levy (Molly Jensen), Sharon D Clarke (Oda Mae Brown), Andrew Langtree (Carl Bruner), Ivan de Freitas (Willie Lopez), Adebayo Bolaji (Subway Ghost), Mark Pearce (Hospital Ghost), Lisa Davina Phillip (Clara) and Jenny Fitzpatrick (Louise). They are joined by ensemble and swing members Jaygan Ayeh, Paul Ayres, Darren Carnall, Rochelle Neil, Michael Peters, Laura Selwood, Yemie Sonuga, Spencer Stafford, Phillipa Stefani, Jez Unwin and Sally Whitehead.

A timeless fantasy about the power of love, Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next trying to communicate with his girlfriend Molly through a phoney psychic in the hope of saving her from his murderer. Ghost, based on the Oscar winning Paramount Pictures film, will feature new music and lyrics as well as the classic Unchained Melody.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film of 1990, Ghost won numerous awards worldwide and is one of the biggest grossing films in the UK. It starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker. Bruce Joel Rubin's script won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Oscar® for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film's iconic love scene at a potter's wheel was famously performed to The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody.

Dave Stewart has built a repertoire of remarkable songs that have been performed by some of the most influential musicians of our time. In 1999 Stewart, along with his Eurythmics partner Annie Lennox, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Brit Awards having sold over 75 million albums with hits like Here Comes The Rain Again, Who's That Girl, Would I Lie To You, Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves (with Aretha Franklin) and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). Stewart was recently presented with the Legend in Songwriting award from the City of Hope, and has collaborated, both as a songwriter and producer, with several of today's biggest stars in music. Stewart recently released Dave Stewart Songbook, Vol. 1, that includes his hits with Tom Petty (Don't Come Around Here No More), No Doubt (Underneath It All), Mick Jagger (Old Habits Die Hard) which won a Golden Globe for Best Song in the film Alfie and Celine Dion (Taking Chances). In his new capacity as Nokia's Change Agent, Stewart is charged with leading the Artists Advisory Committee which ensures the artist's point of view is represented in the "new world." In conjunction with his company, Weapons of Mass Entertainment, Stewart is poised to rethink, reshape and reinvent music, film, television, books, theatre, new media and eventually the entire creative process.

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