Words by Ed King / Production pics by Johan Persson – profile of Danny Robbins by Helen Murray
Supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story starts it’s first run of 2024 at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, on stage from 16 to 20 January.
Complete with a new cast for the New Year, 2:22 A Ghost Story will be at The Alex for five consecutive evening performances – with matinees on 17, 19, and 20 January. A BSL performance will be held at 2:30pm on Saturday 20 January.
2:22 A Ghost Story is directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr, with set design by Anna Fleischle and lighting by Lucy Carter. The show has been giving a guidance rating of 12+, with tickets priced between £25-£65 depending on the day, time, and seat allocation within the theatre.
Penned by once standup comic now writer and journalist Danny Robins – he who created and presented the phenomenally popular podcasts Haunted, The Battersea Poltergeist, and Uncanny, 2:22 A Ghost Story – is the tried and tested tale of ‘couple move into to new a home, which is haunted… or is it?’.
Protagonists Jenny (Fiona Wade) and Sam (George Rainsford) by a big old house in Central London, which in itself sounds like make believe, and whilst renovating their cavernous new comfort zone Jenny hears what she perceives as the sounds of a man shuffling and crying through their daughter’s baby monitor.
Jenny jumps to haunting. Sam, who is away on a business trip at the time, believes there must be a more ‘rational’ explanation. And to tackle the issue like level headed adults they invite friends Lauren (Vera Chok) and Ben (Jay McGuiness) round for a dinner party/séance. Let the battle of ethereal ideology commence…
Until we finally have proof of life after death, or literally give up the ghost, this sceptic Vs believer seesaw will be a common ground when discussing the supernatural – or train line vibrations, depending on your viewpoint.
And it is this two-sided approach that made Robins’ podcasts so engaging – never really landing too firmly on one side or the other, but building a community of people fervently engaged in the eternal debate.
Robins’ stage show, 2:22 A Ghost Story, premiered in London’s West End at the Noël Coward Theatre from August to October 2021. It received widespread rave reviews and a slew of award nominations, including a Laurence Olivier Award shoulder tap for Lilly Allen as Jenny in the original cast.
Having gone on to tour Los Angeles, Australia, Prague, and Singapore, the show returns to British theatre with a new cast for 2024 – kicking of with five days at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, before heading out across the UK until June.
2:22 A Ghost Story – official trailer (featuring previous UK cast)
2:22 A Ghost Story runs at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 16 to 20 January, with a BSL performance at 2:30pm on Saturday 20 January. For more information and direct links to online ticket sales, visit: www.222aghoststory.com
For more from The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, visit: www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham