Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Specter Of Ghost Musical Rises

Specter Of Ghost Musical Rises

Earlier today, formalized plans for Ghost The Musical were announced. The show will receive an out-of-town tryout in Manchester, England, before heading to London's West End in 2011.

Before you start groaning about yet another film getting the stage musical treatment, consider the first-rate talent involved.

Not only is the tuner based on the much-loved, romantic 1990 Academy Award Best Picture nominated movie with its Oscar-winning screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin handling the book and contributing lyrics, but former Eurythmics Dave Stewart and Oscar-nominated tunesmith Glen Ballard are composing Ghost's score.

Even better, is that Matthew Warchus is slated to direct the musical. Sure, he also helmed the ill-fated Lord Of The Rings Musical, which ranks among the biggest stage flops of the last decade. Yet over the last few years, virtually every other show he's overseen has been an unqualified critical hit.

The official Web site for Ghost The Musical is already up and running. The site describes the show as follows:

Ghost is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.

One element from the silver screen incarnation that will remain in the musical is the use of the Righteous Brothers' classic tune, "Unchained Melody," which certainly provided one of the most enduring and arguably iconic sequences in cinematic history.

The stage musical will be produced by Hello Entertainment, the same people bringing us Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, and Colin Ingram in association with Paramount Pictures.

So, dear readers, do you think Ghost materialize into a must-see smash ultimately hitting Broadway, or will it vanish into thin air quickly? If I had to bet today, I'd bet on the former.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).


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Labels: Bruce Joel Rubin, Dave Stewart, Film, First Word On New Show, Ghost The Musical, Glen Ballard, London, Matthew Warchus, Musical

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, August 27, 2010