2:22 A Ghost Story (2025-2026 tour) ★★

2:22: A Ghost Story chronicles one night, as a harmless dinner party turns into a tense quest for answers surrounding a spectral visitor’s nightly arrival at 2:22 a.m.

The premise is simple: noise comes through the baby monitor, and we don’t know what or who it is. Jenny, played here by Stacey Dooley, is convinced of supernatural intervention that threatens the safety of her precious newborn. Sam, portrayed by Kevin Clifton, is fiercely logical and takes every opportunity to debunk any suggestion of contact from the afterlife. Their friends, Ben and Lauren, serve to explore their ideas further and bear witness to the night’s events.

To say the story is nonsensical, for many, will feel like an understatement. Not because of its supernatural themes but instead largely due to the journeys of the characters themselves. Danny Robins’ writing begins low-key, with a few concerns from the protagonists, but quickly spirals into full-on hysteria. These character developments appear to come from nowhere and often feel detached from the play’s starting point, leaving the characters with little sense of identity and grounding. Subplots are introduced with little consequence, and the various twists and turns feel unearned and unimaginative. The basic script provides a good hiding place for unseasoned performers whilst simultaneously giving them little opportunity to shine. There are some real jump-out-of-your-seat moments, though they’re all reliant on very loud, random sound effects as opposed to anything material within the narrative. The pace is slow, and it struggles to reach any real sense of climax.

The cast is a mismatched smorgasbord of acting abilities and styles. Stacey Dooley gives us passable naturalism, while Clifton pushes his performance towards the melodramatic. Grant Kilburn and Shvorne Marks bring some experience to proceedings but often look stylistically lost as to where to pitch their performances. This is surely more of a directorial issue than a reflection on their own abilities, as they both have great moments throughout the piece. But, ultimately, the script leaves us wondering if we’re in a tense ITV drama or a BBC sitcom.

The set, however, is striking and effective. The one-location set is a detailed and naturalistic open-plan living area. Stuck between modern renovations and various wallpapers of yesteryear, it perfectly represents the young family in transition and is a great turn by designer Anna Fleischle. Lighting designer Lucy Carter adds some drama to the setup with great use of red neon lights that really give the visuals a unique and arresting appeal. Ian Dickinson helps build tension throughout the piece with an understated but effective sound design.

Although the all-star casting is sure to draw an audience who might not usually visit the theatre, this play may just reinforce all their negative preconceptions that theatre is unexciting and outdated. Though, if you can leave your thirst for full-on horror at the door, you’ll probably have a good time watching some of your favourite TV personalities in the latest line-up of 2:22: A Ghost Story.