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A spine-tingling, goosebump inducing, rollercoaster of a time awaits you at the Ahmanson Theatre with the opening of Danny Robins’ “2:22 A Ghost Story”. As someone fairly freaked out by the supernatural, I will admit to several moments where a chill literally ran up my spine, making for an exciting evening, if you’re into that sort of thing! The play has been a runaway hit in the West End in London for the past year with its author gaining more fans and theatre goers through his podcast about supernatural experiences, “Battersea Poltergeist”. It has now crossed the pond, making its US debut here at the Ahmanson directed by Matthew Dunster.
It’s a modern day ghost story set over the course of one, very long evening in a newly gentrified, formerly working class neighborhood of Boston. Jenny and Sam have been renovating a big, old house for months and they have an almost one year old baby. As the evening begins, Sam has just returned from several days out of town to find Jenny distraught over what she believes is a ghost in their house. Each night at precisely 2:22am for the previous three nights, she has heard footsteps and sounds coming from the baby monitor. They are awaiting their dinner guests, Lauren, an old classmate of Sam’s, and her new boyfriend, Ben. They make awkward small talk until Jenny reveals what’s going on. After much arguing back and forth, it is decided that they will all stay awake until 2:22 to see if it happens again.
As the evening unfolds, each of them reveals differing views on the supernatural, telling of their personal experiences and beliefs. Lauren and Jenny are open to the possibilities, Ben is a firm believer having been raised by spiritualists, and Sam, a scientist, is the lone skeptic. For every scenario that the three come up with, Sam has a rational explanation and the four of them go round and round, revealing more about themselves and their relationships to each other.
As the minutes count down on a big, red, digital clock on the wall, Dunster’s direction builds the tension and suspense as the audience breathlessly awaits 2:22! Emotions run hot and it’s all very high octane, perhaps too much so in places. The characters spend a great deal of time yelling at each other, partly because they are tense but also perhaps because the set is cavernous. The Anna Fleischle set is gorgeous to be sure and the size does make it scary, but, number one, it doesn’t feel like a realistic Bostonian home with such a massive ceiling and two, I think a slightly more cramped space would have added more intimacy. That kind of intimacy could have allowed for some more subtle moments between the characters. The mood is also artificially heightened with loud screams during scene blackouts, the howling of wild coyotes and fog, lots of fog! Scary though? Yes.
Photo by Craig Schwartz Photography
Constance Wu is effective as Jenny, struggling with not only her immediate fear of this ghost but also her own insecurity about her sense of self in her relationship with Sam. Wu is fierce in her determination but at times felt too strident. It seemed like she was indeed losing her mind so perhaps that was the intention. Finn Wittrock is charming as Sam, wielding his intelligence like a sword. His frustration with his wife is palpable and he has obvious chemistry with his old friend Lauren, played with acerbic wit by a sexy, boozy Anna Camp. As Ben, Lauren’s Bostonian contractor boyfriend, Adam Rotherberg shines as he goes all in on Jenny’s ghost haunting, creating some of the biggest laughs and most chilling moments in the show.
With some great twists and turns, along with questions about what ghosts really are and what purpose they serve, “2:22 A Ghost Story” is a thriller that will have you in deep discussions for hours after experiencing the show.
“2:22 – A Ghost Story” continues at the Ahmanson Theatre through December 4, 2022. Tickets start at $40 and check out their Tuesday ticket drops for $20. Visit CenterTheatreGroup.org, call (213) 972-4400 or purchase in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
