2:22 A Ghost Story, now on tour and currently at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, is a sharp, smart night of theatre that blends the supernatural with real-world relationship drama in a way that keeps you listening – and guessing – right to the end.
Stacey Dooley stars as Jenny in her stage debut, and it’s a solid, natural performance.
She gives the character warmth and edge, making her uncertainty feel real rather than dramatic.
Opposite her is Kevin Clifton as Sam – a self-assured sceptic who plays off Jenny’s unease with just enough charm and self-belief to be convincing. Their dynamic works.
But it’s Grant Kilburn as Ben who really stands out for me. He brings energy and charisma to the role making it believable, funny, and entirely watchable.
Shvorne Marks completes the cast as Lauren, a character that keeps the story moving – but at times the accent and physical acting is a little ‘Broadway’ and takes the edge off of what is otherwise a performance mostly grounded in real life believability.
The production itself is tight. Clever set design, well-placed lighting, and a sharp soundscape all help build the tension.
And yes (slight spoiler alert) there are jump scares, maybe a little too many to be honest, but they had people jumping out their seats every time.so maybe I’m just used to scares!
The show keeps you engaged all the way through while you try and figure out what’s really going on, right up until… Well, you have to go see it to find that out.
Overall, 2:22 is more than worth seeing. The script is sharp, the current cast is strong, and the production knows exactly what it’s doing.
It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it doesn’t need to – it delivers an engrossing, fast-moving evening with just enough bite to keep you talking about it on the way home.
2:22 A Ghost Story is at Everyman Theatre Cheltenham until 25th October
