BWW Reviews: GHOST THE MUSICAL Will Keep You Guessing

If you were going to see GHOST THE MUSICAL and looking for references to the original movie with Patrick Swayze (Sam) and Demi Moore (Molly), you would have seen a lot of them. Yes, the popular song, "Unchained Melody" was included. Yes, Molly does sculpting and Sam works on Wall Street. The live production actually follows the movie closely since Bruce Rubin wrote both the screenplay and play script. But, if you were going solely to relive your memories of the original, then you would have been disappointed. GHOST THE MUSICAL is a wonderful production by itself and is worthy of its own iconic references.

As the show began, you knew this was going to be like nothing you had ever seen before. The special effects were mesmerizing and captivating. To see Sam walk through a wall, items fly through the air and paper folding itself kept you wondering how it was done. Stage illusionist Paul Kieve designed each special effect very carefully to make it fit well with the storyline.

The musical productions were enjoyable and added to the story details. The main characters were played by Steven Grant Douglas and Katie Postotnik seemed to connect well. Douglas has a strong voice that complemented Postotnik's melodic sound. Carla R. Stewart's Oda Mae was certainly comedic relief in a serious show. Her powerful voice and over-the-top acting proved that she made Oda Mae her own and didn't try to imitate Whoopi Goldberg in any way. I particularly loved it when she sang, "I'm Outta Here." It was a fun song and again added to the comic relief of the otherwise very somber show.

Some of the other stand-outs in the show included Brandon Curry who played the Subway Ghost. Curry did a fantastic job in "Focus." Evette Marie White and Nichole Turner as Clara and Louise were enjoyable as well.

GHOST runs from January 21-January 26, 2014 at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio. Go to their website www.majesticempire.com for tickets and show times. The show is recommended for audiences 13 and older because of violence, mature themes and language.

PHOTO CREDIT: Joan Marcus