Ghosts
Closing: May 10, 2025Ghosts - 2025 West End History , Info & More
Lyric Hammersmith
King Street London
“When you spend your life in thrall to a monster you find yourself trying to make monstrous
things somehow bearable.”
Helena is a woman on a mission. Since the death of her high-flying husband, she has dedicated herself to reclaiming his legacy. And her hard work is about to pay off, with a new children’s hospital bearing his name on the brink of opening.
But when their son Oz returns to the family home for the grand unveiling, he has ambitions
of his own. Ambitions that threaten to unravel their family’s most tightly kept secrets.
Gary Owen’s new play, a contemporary reimagining of Ibsen’s classic, is directed by Artistic
Director Rachel O’Riordan, reuniting the team behind the critically acclaimed Iphigenia in
Splott, Romeo and Julie and Killology.
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Ghosts
Gary Owen’s adaptation of the Ibsen classic, directed by Rachel O’Riordan, runs until 10 May
8 / 10
Each actor rises to the challenge: Stone walks a brilliantly controlled line between sanctimonious and sympathetic, Smurfit lets more and more grief emerge from her frozen control, Allison and above all Howells grapple painfully with a sense of lives ruined before they have even begun. O’Riordan’s taut direction never lets the tension, or the sense of wounded humanity slacken. I suspect Ibsen would have been proud.
An extraordinary new contemporary adaptation featuring a collection of electrifying performances.
10 / 10
Owen revises Ibsen with tact. He doesn’t merely translate the text for a modern audience by making cuts and altering the language: this is a whole new play. He maintains all the original beats, but adds a layer of modern investment to the story, transposing it in a way that makes complete sense in the here and now. The working-class struggle coexists on the same level as wealthy Gen Z ennui and the lack of prospects for new generations. But that’s not the point of this. Oz’s rich-people problems pale in the shadow of the Captain’s deeds. Yet, Owen refrains from introducing his characters as bare vehicles of immorality who come down their ivory tower to deliver a message to the masses. They’re complex creatures who suffer the consequences of the world they live in. The show is tender and raw; domestic abuse becomes a gilded cage.
by Aliya Al-Hassan - April 17, 2025
Gary Owen’s new play, a contemporary reimagining of Ibsen’s classic, is directed by Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan, reuniting the team behind the critically acclaimed Iphigenia in Splott, Romeo and Julie and Killology.
by Cindy Marcolina - April 17, 2025
Victoria Smurfit and Callum Scott Howells are the tragic mother-son duo in an exciting, tense, suspenseful adaptation. Owen shifts the script and makes this classic all about domestic abuse and the power of upper-class disdain. Rachel O’Riordan’s production is a masterclass in distilling tension and concentrating it without frills or games. It’s an emotionally challenging experience, pure theatre.
Ghosts History
Other Productions of Ghosts
| 1894 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1903 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1912 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1915 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1916 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1919 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1923 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1926 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1927 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1933 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1935 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1937 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1948 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1973 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 1975 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 1982 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1988 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2002 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2010 | West End |
London Production West End |
| 2013 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
| 2015 | Off-Broadway |
Brooklyn Academy of Music Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater Off-Broadway |
| 2025 | West End |
West End |
Videos