Review: 2:22 A GHOST STORY at Ahmanson Theatre

Arguments about the meaning of life, where we come from, where we're headed after death, the afterlife, and the like have been debated for centuries by theologians, scientists, and philosophers alike, and we're still not any closer to clarity. That said, it can make for gripping conversations deep into the night whether you're stoned college students, wine-drinking soccer moms, or new parents.

So when new mom Jenny (Constance Wu) tells her husband, Sam (Finn Wittrock), just back from working out of state; his oldest friend, Lauren (Anna Camp); and her new boyfriend, Ben (Sam Rothenberg) that she thinks their new house is haunted because she hears someone inside the baby's room every night at exactly 2:22, Lauren and Ben agree to stay with them until the appointed time to see just what happens. Arguments and heated discussions ensue, with Jenny, Lauren, and Ben all believers in the supernatural and Sam the lone dissenter who attempts to disprove anything they claim is paranormal with rational examples.

It's not a bad set-up for a horror-thriller. The problem is there's no horror and almost no thrills in 2:22 A GHOST STORY. The arguments for and against the supernatural are not compelling or original. We've heard them all a million times. (Even the title conceit of something ghostly-or not-happening at exactly the same time each day has been done over and over.) It's essentially four people bickering for an hour and forty-five minutes and then a twist that comes out of nowhere and is thusly not earned. It's not like it suddenly all makes sense and you can think back on everything that came before and connect the dots. There are no (or at least not many) dots to connect. The twist, though it's been done countless times before, can still be effective ... if the context is smart enough, solid enough, suspenseful enough. This show isn't half as clever as the creators think it is, nor as deep.

It seems they know that at some level because they try to make up for it by using a piercingly loud scream to indicate scene transitions. It's unnecessary, just cheap jump scares trying to create suspense and terror where there is none. There's hardly even mystery. The noise pollution is abetted by blinding red light that frames the stage. It's less offensive, but not by much. It doesn't help that director Matthew Dunster plays much of Danny Robins' script for laughs when it could have been amping up some suspense. It would have been more cohesive and had a bigger impact if it hadn't played as a comedy for most of its 2-hour run time, though it wouldn't have been enough to make the story land.

This production at the Ahmanson Theatre is the U.S. premiere after debuting in the West End in 2021 and being nominated for three Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Play. This newly mounted production may have lost something crossing the pond, not lost in translation so much as how different directors bring different aspects of a script to light and every actor embodies a character differently. Camp is the MVP in this cast. While all the performers are solid, she brings both a brightness and a darkness via layered pathos to her cheerfully brittle alcoholic Lauren. She finds complexity in her role that is missing from the other characters. Additionally, scenic designer Anna Fleischle has created a stunning, enormous set of a home under construction.

The story simply isn't served well by an underdeveloped script and shrieking sound effects. It could have been more involving, and more effective, if it had delved deeper into its themes and characters instead of relying on gimmicks.

2:22 A GHOST STORY is performed at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, through December 4. Tickets are available at CenterTheatreGroup.org, 213.972.4400, or at the box office.

All photos by Craig Schwartz Photography

To post a comment, you must register and login.