Ghost: The Musical

Theatre Royal, Brighton

February 19 to February 23

Ghost has been recreated time and time again, mainly for its most famous scene in which stars Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore sit at the pottery wheel while Unchained Melody plays in the background. Now that scene and others in the movie are being brought to life on stage. Jamie Walker talks to Niall Sheehy, the man who takes up the role of Sam Wheat, about the show.

Hi Niall, how’s the tour been going?

Yeah it’s been going well, we’re a few weeks in now so everyone is pretty settled.

And you’ve been enjoying performing each night?

Absolutely.

It’s a beautiful story.

If you know the film you know what to expect.

If you don’t it’s just a story of loss and love and getting over a life-changing event.

Whether it’s a pet or person or job it’s something everyone can relate to.

How similar is the script to the film?

We’re quite lucky in the fact that Bruce Joel Rubin – who wrote the original screenplay – has written this.

It’s pretty much the same, I think they’ve just added extra music within the story.

But it runs as people would remember it.

There’s also a slightly different approach to the special effects.

What attracted you to the role? Were you a fan of the film?

I’m not as young as I like to think but I remember when the film came out.

I remember thinking it was just a romance movie but it’s actually so much more.

I was aware of the shows and when I got the role I was over the moon.

I’m delighted to be a part of it.

And what have the rest of the cast been like to work with?

They’ve all been wonderful, they’re a lovely bunch.

We’ve got a nice mix of backgrounds and age groups.

One of the nice things about a touring company is the energy.

We all get on very well and have been very happy.

Does that age range also translate to the audiences you’ve been performing to?

I think we’ve had a very eclectic audience over the last few weeks.

People who know the film know what they’re going to see but I’ve spoken to younger people who have come to the show and say they’d never seen the film.

We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel but we’re not telling the exact same story as the film so people who have seen it will still see new things.

People will definitely come away with a joy of having seen something they haven’t seen before.

Is it nice that you can get that variety in the audience?

Absolutely.

For any show to be successful it has to move beyond what may or may not be expected of an audience.

It’s nice that younger people are enjoying the film as well as older fans of the movie.

The show has its own fanbase and that’s essential to the life of any show.

We mentioned some of those well known scenes from the movie. Do you feel pressure in having to really get those moments right?

Not really a pressure.

As I mentioned before it’s great that we have Bruce involved with the show and we’re going to get from A to B.

Scenes like the pottery wheel are things that people will remember from the film.

But we aren’t trying to be Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.

Nothing will be a photocopy from the film.

But there’s always a certain pressure on a show but at the same time we’re telling the story the best we can and the audience will always get what they want from each scene.

There’s pressure to tell the story correctly.

You’re playing Theatre Royal on this tour, is it somewhere you’re familiar with?

I’ve been there before and I love Brighton as a place.

Last year I toured with Titanic and one of the cast lives down there.

It’s a beautiful place and I can’t wait to get down there.

Do you get to spend time in the towns and cities you come to?

It all depends on where you’re at. I recently moved back from abroad so each Sunday morning I move to the next venue.

That means I have over a day to enjoy the places I’m in and sightsee before the chaos of the week begins.

So why is the show to see?

It will speak to people on a deep level because it has those moments that will resonate.

It’s a cathartic show that people will come away from being moved for having seen it.