Chicago Tribune - Not Recommended
"..."Ghost" has a moral obligation to be a better musical because this material exploits one of most intense desires: to have back in our lives a departed loved one. The idea of a further conversation with such a lost lover is potent matter for the theater, as Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein knew when they wrote the masterpiece "Carousel," wherein gentle yearning and hope triumph, and you leave desperately hoping you're not walking alone. The apparent disinterest of "Ghost The Musical" in treating that spiritual desire with dignity and sophistication is its most egregious ghoul of all."
Chicago Sun Times - Not Recommended
"...Frankly, I will not be checking with Netflix at any point in this life to compare and contrast the two versions. I've had more than enough exposure to this story thanks to the non-Equity national touring production that opened Wednesday at the Oriental Theatre. I can only hope that the unholy mess of Broadway cliches, disjointed styles and flashy video game-like lighting and special effects in this unevenly "updated" (and interminable) stage version is a sad betrayal of the original."
Chicago Reader - Not Recommended
"...The 2012 musical version (it lasted four months on Broadway) doesn't do any such thing. As represented by this touring production, it's a long, loud, visually frantic bore--as off-putting as the movie was endearing, as sloppy as the movie was precise. The only strong song in Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard's score is the appropriated 50s pop classic "Unchained Melody." Matthew Warchus's staging is a collection of headache-inducing gimmicks, arbitrarily applied. The romantic leads make no impression. And as Oda Mae Brown--the psychic who mediates between the ghost and the living--Carla Stewart pushes racial caricature so far that it starts to feel ugly."
Time Out Chicago - Not Recommended
"...The whole spectral spectacle, with its cheap-looking aesthetic but expensive tickets, with more motion on screens than by actors onstage, is likely to make you wonder why you didn't just stay home with Demi on DVD. One might worry whether it puts us another step closer to the act of theatergoing becoming a haunting memory."
ShowBizChicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...But the novelty of these new effects cannot overcome the undeveloped musical structure of the production (directed by Matthew Warchus). The forgettable score composed by Dave Stewart, Glen Ballard, and Mr. Rubin does nothing to advance the story or allow the actors any type of individual character development. Rather than create songs that would flush out the motivations and choices of Sam, Molly, Carl and Ode Mae, the creative team opts instead for over the top, superfluous, production numbers with bizarre choreography. Thus, the actors are never allowed the opportunity to inhabit these characters as fully as their film counterparts. To compound the problem, the sound was so out of balanced on opening night that it was affecting the actors' vocal pitch causing them to go flat in the middle of certain numbers."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...True believers in the film will appreciate the faithfulness of Bruce Joel Rubin's adaptation from his screenplay. But they may also feel unentranced by the overachieving orchestra's drowning of the lyrics, the familiar special effects, and, above all, the lack of chemistry between Steven Grant Douglas' personable but non-magnetic Sam and Katie Postotnik's occasionally shrieking and mostly petulant Molly. Here Sam's ectoplasmic adoration is more assumed than enjoyed. The real life on this busy stage comes from sassy Carla R. Stewart's merry medium, her bewilderment hilarious as she's caught up in a literal tug of war between life and death."
ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended
"...The lesson here is: if your going to make a musical of a favorite film either use jukebox tunes or find talented composers and don't rely on video and lighting gimmicks. Remember, the live stage is different from film - don't try to be a film on stage. Maybe the real lesson is the film source material. Once, the film, became an even better as live stage musical. Unfortunately. Ghost The Musical simply doesn't work on stage."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...It is very difficult to go into a theater with great expectations when you are seeing an iconic film that has been converted to a Broadway Musical. "Ghost", a 1990 film classic starred Patrick Swayze,Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg thus , we as an audience have to anticipate nothing comprable. Then there is the whole concept of special effects- in a film , even 14 years ago, we know that they can do many adventurous things with cut and splice and of course computer technology, but "live" , on stage, how could they do this? Well, let me tell you! The special effects in this production, now on the stage at the Oriental Theatre as part of the Broadway In Chicago Season, has some effects that will knock your sox off! In particular the subway scene which on its own is worth the price of the ticket."
Chicago Theatre Review - Not Recommended
"...The only reason to see this production, which certainly doesn’t warrant its high ticket prices, are the special effects. Characters levitate, fly offstage and even walk through doors; objects levitate and glide around the stage; rain falls and umbrellas descend from the sky. Even New York’s cityscape soars toward the audience at breakneck speed making you feel like you’re on a runaway Disney World ride. If your idea of good theatre is bigger, louder, faster you’ll enjoy yourself; for those looking for a musical with pleasant, hummable songs, beautiful choreography and interesting characters honestly telling a memorable story, you might want to look elsewhere. Or better still, just rent the movie."
Huffington Post - Not Recommended
"...But the real issue here isn't the pared down production values, it's the cast. With few exceptions (most notably Carla R. Stewart who ultimately finds her footing as the scene-stealing psychic, Oda Mae Brown) the leads struggle to compete with what remains of the spectacle. Steven Grant Douglas and Katie Postotnik as fated lovers Sam and Molly are lovely performers who struggle to project beyond the smokescreen. And on press night, both seemed vocally unsure, to say the least, as they navigated the rigorous rock-infused score (lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin and music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard -- who've worked with the likes of Alanis Morisette and Eurythmics)."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Somewhat Recommended
"..."Ghost, the Musical" originated in London in 2011 where it had a respectable 14-month run. A 2012 run on Broadway lasted only 17 weeks, undercut no doubt by a savage pan from the New York Times reviewer. An extended road tour, including a two-week stop in Chicago, should repay some of the investment lost on Broadway. Chicagoans rarely get a visiting show with this much advanced technology, like those scenes of New York City jumping out at the viewer in Disneyland style. But the Oda Mae Brown character (Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for the role in the movie) could have elevated the entertainment quotient of the evening instead of reducing the most fun figure on the stage to a buffoon. So if you are an aficionado of the latest technology in the theater arts, "Ghost, the Musical" provides its share of pleasures. If you want an affecting, offbeat love story, rent the movie."
