Frankie Bridge makes West End debut in 2:22 – A Ghost Story

Frankie Bridge will make her West End debut after joining the cast of 2:22 – A Ghost Story.

Bridge will play Lauren after Sophia Bush withdrew from the production due to illness. Bridge will perform from August until the end of the show’s run at the Apollo Theatre on September 17.

Producers Runway Entertainment said: “Due to illness, Sophia Bush has unfortunately had to withdraw from the production. We are delighted to welcome Frankie Bridge to the 2:22 family. Our talented understudies Gemma Yates and Allie Dart have been covering the role of Lauren on rotation. We are hugely grateful to them for stepping up so brilliantly. They will continue until Frankie begins.”

Former The Saturdays star Bridge joins the fifth West End transfer of Danny Robins’ supernatural thriller, which moved to the Apollo in May after a run at The Lyric Theatre and two successful seasons at the Criterion.

The production began its life in the summer of 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood. It then transferred to the Gielgud Theatre for 10 weeks starring Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher.

The show then moved to the Criterion Theatre with the cast featuring Tom Felton, Mandip Gill, Beatriz Romilly, Sam Swainsbury; the second cast at the Criterion Theatre featured  Tamsin Carroll as Lauren, Felix Scott as Sam, Matt Willis as Ben and Laura Whitmore as Jenny. The show then transferred to the Lyric where Cheryl, Jake Wood, Louise Ford and Scott Karim ended their run on 23 April.

The US premiere of 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, opened on October 29 and ended its run on December 4, 2022. The show has also recently opened in Australia.

2.22 – A Ghost Story is written by Robins (The Battersea Poltergeist) and it is directed by Matthew Dunster. Described as intriguing, funny and scary, it takes audiences into one adrenaline-fueled night where secrets will emerge and ghosts may appear….What do you believe? And do you dare to discover the truth?

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 her new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they are going to stay up… until 2.22am… and then they will know.

2:22 – A Ghost Story features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound, casting by Matilda James, illusions by Chris Fisher, and co-direction by Gabriel Vega Weissmanl.

It is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon. 

Apollo Theatre tells 2:22 – A Ghost Story

Here’s a look at Sophia Bush, Ricky Champ, Clifford Samuel and Jaime Winston in 2:22: – A Ghost Story.

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 her new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they are going to stay up… until 2.22am… and then they will know.

Produced by Runaway Entertainment, Bush stars as Lauren, Champ as Ben, Samuel as Sam and Winstone as Jenny.

This is the fifth West End transfer of Danny Robins’ supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story. The show transferred from the Lyric to the Apollo earlier this month after two previous seasons at the Criterion.

The production began its life at the Noel Coward Theatre in summer 2021, starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood. It then transferred to the Gielgud Theatre for 10 weeks in December 2021. The production there, starring Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher, completed its run in February 2022.

The first cast at the Criterion Theatre featured Tom Felton, Mandip Gill, Beatriz Romilly, Sam Swainsbury and the last Criterion Theatre cast of Tamsin Carroll as Lauren, Felix Scott as Sam, Matt Willis as Ben and Laura Whitmore as Jenny, ended its run on January 8.

The US premiere of 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles opened on October 29 and ended its run on 4 December 2022. The most recent cast, at the Lyric Theatre, Cheryl, Louise Ford, Scott Karim and Jake Wood ended their run on April 23.

2.22 – A Ghost Story is written by Danny Robins and directed by Matthew Dunster. It features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound, casting by Matilda James, illusions by Chris Fisher and associate direction by Matt Hassall.

The show is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon. 

 The new cast opened at the Apollo Theatre on May 30 and will continue until September 17.

Tickets: www.222aghoststory.com

Park Theatre to host world premiere of The Garden of Words

Park Theatre will host the world premiere of The Garden of Words , the first stage adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s Anime and novel, ahead of its Japanese opening later this year.

The Garden of Words is described as a story of what it is to feel alone in the biggest metropolis in the world. Whilst seeking solace in a rainy Japanese garden, an out-of-step woman and an offbeat teenager meet by chance. Takao and Yukari are escaping; when they find each other, the social misfits develop an unlikely bond over classical poetry, shoemaking, bad cooking and a shared sense of loneliness.

But what at first seems to be a simple and poetic story of connection begins to cloud. Can an inter-generational friendship can genuinely exist, regardless of age and position?

Performed in English with occasional Japanese, The Garden of Words is an Anglo-Japanese collaboration from the UK’s Whole Hog Theatre, creators of the world’s first stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke, and Tokyo’s Anime stage production specialists Nelke Planning (Attack on Titan, Naruto, Sailor Moon).

Originally by Shinkai, it is adapted by Susan Momoko Hingley and Alexandra Rutter. It is directed by Rutter and produced by Shuang Teng.

The original music is by Mark Choi, set and costume design by Cindy Lin, puppets design by Mikayla Teodoro, lighting design by Rajiv Pattani, sound design by Nicola T Chang and projection design by Kenichi Arakaki. 

The cast features Hiroki Berrecloth, Aki Nakagawa, James Bradwell, Mark Takeshi Ota, Arina Ii, Shoko Ito and Iniki Mariano.

Following its UK run, from August 10 – September 9, the show will have its Japanese premiere in Tokyo in November.

Rutter said: “After a wait of more than three years, we could not be more delighted to finally be opening the doors to the garden. We are truly honoured to bring the world-class, complex and beautiful work of Makoto Shinkai to London.

“Following an unimaginable period of global isolation, the world is rightly questioning the status-quo on what, with whom and how we tell stories. Shinkai’s work speaks to this on a deep level. In an increasingly loud and digitalised world, his meticulously crafted visual storytelling, juxtaposed with complex characters struggling for human connection, is all the more poignant.

“It is a privilege to stage this authentic Tokyo tale that goes beyond the cultural zeitgeist of Japan, and we hope to be part of a reimagining of anime in popular imagination that encourages both traditional and non-traditional audiences. Our thanks to our Tokyo partner of almost 10 years, Nelke Planning, and our amazing female-led team of Japanese, British East Asian and British artists’. We are no doubt at the crest of a wave of Japanese stories on stage so there has never been a more exciting time for Anglo-Japanese collaboration. We are very excited to share this with you all.”

2.22 – A Ghost Story brings new cast to Apollo Theatre

2.22 – A Ghost Story will introduce a sixth cast when it arrives at the Apollo Theatre next month.

Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) will play Lauren, Ricky Champ (Him & Her) is Ben, Clifford Samuel (McMafia) stars as Sam and Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood) appears as Jenny.

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 her new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they are going to stay up… until 2.22am… and then they will know.

The move marks the fifth West End transfer in just two years for the supernatural thriller. It had its world premiere at the Nöel Coward Theatre in summer 2021 and subsequently received three Olivier nominations, including Best New Play and Best Actress.

The production began with stars Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood. It then moved to the Gielgud Theatre with Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher.

The first cast at the Criterion Theatre featured Tom Felton, Mandip Gill, Beatriz Romilly, Sam Swainsbury; the second Criterion Theatre cast included Tamsin Carroll as Lauren, Felix Scott as Sam, Matt Willis as Ben and Laura Whitmore as Jenny. The current run at the Lyric features Cheryl as Jenny, Jake Wood as Ben, Scot Karim and Sam and Louise Ford as Lauren, who will perform until April 23.

It will run at the Apollo from May 14-September 17, 2023.

2.22 – A Ghost Story is written by Danny Robins (The Battersea Poltergeist) and directed by Matthew Dunster. It features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound, casting by Matilda James and illusions by Chris Fisher. The co-director is  Gabriel Vega Weissman.

It is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon.