Do ghosts exist? Stage play offers possible answers

A HAUNTED house. A young mother. Her skeptical “I-don’t-believe-in-ghosts” husband. All these are familiar tropes in the supernatural genre. But what makes 2:22: A Ghost Story different is that it is not a movie or even a novel. It’s a play performed before a live audience.

In theory, a supernatural play is a far trickier proposition than its cinematic cousin. A horror movie is filled with jump scares, swelling soundtracks and close-up shots of terrified faces. The private hell of its characters is directly transferred to the audience.

In a play, however, the chills and thrills build up over an accretion of creepy dialogue and interactions between the characters. The audience has to work harder to absorb the dread and be hit by the jitters. The visual scares are usually on a smaller scale.

Daniel Jenkins, director of 2:22: A Ghost Story, says: “The play is a more naturalistic investigation into our beliefs, the supernatural and the relationships between the characters. The debate over whether ghosts exist is explored in a very relatable way, with both sides for and against it arguing convincingly, and it is up to the audience to carry on that debate once the play has ended.”

2:22: A Ghost Story stars Dominique De Marco and Shane Mardjuki as the aforementioned couple, beset by supernatural disturbances in their new home. Each night, something strange happens at exactly 2:22 am. The wife is convinced there’s a paranormal entity orchestrating these incidents; the husband looks for a more rational explanation.

Things come to a head when they invite their friends (played by Sharda Harrison and Andy Tear) for a dinner party. Different beliefs and values clash over the dinner table, and all four ultimately decide to stay up to see what happens at 2:22 am.

Mardjuki says: “The tension on stage comes not just from the scary elements, but also from the different relationships on stage. I think having the audience invested in the characters helps to generate the suspense, because they want to see which one of us will be proven right or wrong.”

De Marco says: “The most surprising thing about 2:22 is its heart. Whether you’re a believer or a cynic, the play questions a lot of your underlying beliefs. The play’s conviction in representing these opposing sides is so heartfelt and passionate that it’s hard not to get taken on a journey that makes you take an honest look at your own values.”

2:22: A Ghost Story was written by English playwright and podcaster Danny Robins. The play debuted in the West End of London in 2021, where it earned an Olivier nomination; it also bagged a WhatsOnStage award for Best New Play through votes cast by audiences, not industry professionals. It has since been staged in the US, Australia and elsewhere.

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Jenkins says: “To help build tension and suspense, we’re making the characters as real and relatable as possible. The characters in the play are ordinary people, experiencing what might be extremely unusual, possibly paranormal events, and it is how they decide to deal with these events that creates the suspenseful atmosphere.

“Although there may be a few jump scares within the play, we are trying to avoid the gimmicky tricks we often find in movies; instead, we rely on the actors’ ability to truthfully play out the fear and reality of the situation, and invite the audience to experience this with them... It is really the same approach as with any other play – putting storytelling at its heart and having actors portray truthful characters in extreme situations.”

2:22: A Ghost Story runs from Aug 15 to Sep 3 at KC Arts Centre @ 20 Merbau Road. Tickets from Sistic.