Ghost the Musical is on stage at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

FROM the iconic pottery wheel scene to the blockbuster soundtrack, Ghost was one of the biggest hits of the 1990s and the stage version is just as emotional.

Currently playing at Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre until Saturday (14th September) the musical remains fairly true to the movie taking audiences on the same emotional rollercoaster as a young man struggles with the realisation he has been killed in an apparent street robbery.

With a dazzling cast and brilliantly designed stage it’s easy to see why audiences are falling in love with Ghost all over again. Currently on a UK tour, the show premiered in Manchester in 2011 before going on to play the West End and Broadway.

The story revolves around a young couple who are deliriously happy and excitedly looking forward to their future together. However tragedy strikes when Sam, a banker, is murdered in what appears to be street robbery.

Trapped between life and death, Sam realises that his girlfriend Molly is also in grave danger and vows to do all he can to keep her safe and solve the mystery of his murder along the way.

The use of ingenious staging and scenery helps transport the action between the couple’s lofty Brooklyn apartment to the bank where Sam works, the hospital, a subway station, a psychic’s studio and a number of other destinations. Lighting is cleverly used in the scenes where several other characters pass from the living into the afterlife.

Although the musical features the Righteous Brothers’ iconic Unchained Melody, the stage version also features a whole new soundtrack by the multi-award-winning Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Grammy award-winning Glen Ballard. This impressive soundtrack coupled with the superb full cast dance numbers definitely help to redefine the movie’s story as a captivating stage show.

Rebekah Lowings and Josh St Clair in the roles of Molly and Sam share a wonderful on-stage chemistry, with each showcasing incredible voices in the ballads.

Perfectly cast as Whoopi Goldberg’s character Oda Mae Brown, the dubious psychic who becomes Sam’s way of communicating with Molly, was the wonderful Jacqui Dobois. Bringing huge stage presence and superb comic timing, she really stole the show and was utterly brilliant and hilarious, injecting humour and a lightness into the heartbreaking storyline.

TV legend Les Dennis was also cast as the hospital ghost, and Lionel Ferguson and James Mateo-Salt was wonderful as Sam’s best friend Carl Bruner, alternating between a grieving friend and a corrupt banker who was unwittingly instigated in his murder.

With a dazzling supporting cast and beautifully choreographed dance scenes, Ghost the Musical takes the most powerful elements of the original movie and re-imagines the story for the stage. It is on stage at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre until Saturday with tickets from £19.50 for more information and bookings visit www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk