Following a sell-out Halloween run last year, Danny Robins’ edge-of-your-seat, supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story has returned to The Lowry, Salford for a two-week run, and we have a fully-fledged review for you. The show is at The Lowry until Saturday 15 June, and having experienced it last night (Tuesday 4 June) it’s fair to say we’re still pretty spooked.
Written by award-winning writer Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist and Uncanny, 2:22 is an adrenaline-filled night where secrets emerge and ghosts may, or may not, appear… What do you believe? And do you dare discover the truth?
There’s something in our house. I hear it every night, at the same time.
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben, who each have their own experiences with the spiritual world. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up until 2:22… and then they’ll know.
Fiona Wade (Emmerdale, Silent Witness) plays an extremely convincing Jenny; maternal, wracked with suppressed Catholic belief, and ultimately rethinking her marriage − all whilst battling with the haunting experience playing out before us. George Rainsford (Call the Midwife, Casualty) makes up the couple as Sam, a frustratingly arrogant, scientific man who is played to the tee throughout.
Jay McGuiness brings some star power to the stage in 2:22, a long way from his The Wanted days, playing the likeable tradesman, and spiritually aligned, Ben. Along with Vera Chok (Hollyoaks, Cobra), they make an odd yet endearing couple, with Lauren being the on-the-fence friend in all of this, a headstrong psychologist who provides an interesting voice in the conversation.
The dynamics of the group work together to bring out examples of all types of people and perspectives when it comes to the spiritual, with many real-life phenomena being explored. The staging is so expertly done, the audience feels as though they are in the living room with the group, making it all the more electric and down right spooky, with jump scares galore to capitalise on the heightened state you’ll find yourself in.
This production of 2:22 – A Ghost Story at The Lowry is well worth the watch, effectively staged and totally captivating; just as you’d hope material from Danny Robins would be − not to mention a hell of a plot twist as the cherry on top, but we won’t spoil that.
The Salford run of 2:22 lasts until Saturday 15 June, with tickets available here.