Ghosts - Review by Hannah Fearns

** (2 Stars)

Watford Palace Theatre - Tuesday 19 November, 2013

Written by Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts tells the story of a dysfunctional family affected by the immoral behaviour of the now-dead father and husband, which continues to have consequences for the son, his mother and the maid. The Pastor is supposed to provide advice and comfort, but due to his naivety and vanity, is shown to be weak and gullible. The play focuses on the darker side of family life, society and the church and tackles unfaithfulness and the result of this in both physical and emotional terms.

There are secrets revealed and lives are changed forever. Act One is very long and requires a lot of concentration but Act Two, by contrast, is very short. In spite of the spectacular ending, there are a lot of unanswered question.

The cast of five work well together and present believable characters. Kelly Hunter, as Mrs Alving is particularly strong and Mark Quartley plays a very convincing Oswald.  Pip Donaghy, as Jacob Engstrand provides some comic moments and Patrick Drury, as Pastor Manders is fallible even if he does not see it. Florence Hall, as Regina, is also good.

The set design is effective, although unrelenting, and it certainly adds to the brooding atmosphere of despair and darkness. The costumes, especially Mrs Alving's, are true to the era (1880s) whilst showing a hint of glamour and wealth. At times, the dark set is distracting and can make concentration on the plot harder.

There was a mixed demographic watching the play, with a bulk of the audience school students - perhaps studying the play. Sadly, the action is often hard to follow and does not translate well to a younger audience.

The English Touring Theatre and Rose Theatre, Kingston's Ghosts played at the Watford Palace Theatre from the 19 - 23 November.