Haunted by the prospect of death and the pain of grief.

Art and entertainment that market themselves under the horror genre have an uphill task. By knowing that horror is involved, audience members naturally come in expecting there will be scares at some point, and beyond having to deliver on that, contemporary horror often also has to go a step further, by wrapping it all up in a compelling story that leaves viewers still reeling long after they step out of the theatre.

Danny Robins’ 2:22 – A Ghost Story is the rare horror theatre show that has the potential to achieve that, given the right direction and execution. In its Singapore premiere, presented by Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), the production follows young couple Jenny and Sam (Dominique de Marco and Shane Mardjuki) as they move into their new home. Hosting dinner for friends Lauren and her boyfriend Ben (Sharda Harrison and Andy Tear), Jenny begins to share about uncanny happenings in the house, and all four make a pact to stay up and decide once and for all if there truly is something haunting the premises.

A potential criticism of a horror-based stage show would that it focsues too much on the scares, which end up overshadowing the overall coherence of the narrative. In SRT’s staging however, director Daniel Jenkins is able to elevate this script to another level, paying careful attention to all the details and little nuances that fully flesh out each character and their relationships. Each conversation they have feels important, every one of them layered with emotion and a hint of something heavier inside – the fear and guilt and grief eating them up that makes us feel for them. Through this, there is well-paced storytelling and character development, making sure that this world created is one we recognise as a possibility within our own friend circles.

Much of this is also thanks to the pitch perfect cast of actors. With just the four of them, 2:22 is heavily reliant on them to quickly build up and establish clear character relationships and histories. It is clear that all four are close friends, possessing a genial warmth in each other’s presence as they compliment each other on their clothes, banter over anything. and everything under the sun from reincarnation to good old days, to their personal demons, and speak unfiltered and frank with each other, even if it’s to express admiration for a fantastic toilet. As they share all this over whisky and risotto, we think of how all of these give 2:22 the necessary human touch that make us become fully invested in their journeys over the course of the play.

Beyond sharing that strong chemistry, each of the actors have also mastered their own individual characters. Dominique, as Jenny, is full of nerves, somewhat paranoid that something is out there, a look of concern almost permanently on her face, while also nursing an intense longing for some form of love. Shane, as Sam, is dismissive, a skeptic who just wants to have a good time and pretend none of this is real. Andy, as Ben, is the likeable underdog, the odd one among the friend group who never quite seems to match the rest of the gang and has to constantly prove himself. Finally Sharda, as Lauren, remains calm, cool and collected with her logic, before becoming wilder and more unhinged when she tips over from a little too much alcohol.

When things do get spooky however, the atmosphere is suddenly suspenseful, and you can almost feel a palpable chill descend upon the theatre. The spectre of fear is never too far away, and the jump scares leave you nervous and shivering from the possibility of something malevolent out there. During scene transitions, the characters move in slow motion to represent the passage of time, hard to coordinate but excellently executed, as if possessed by a supernatural force. There are shrill shrieks of fear that sound genuine, playing dangerous games like holding a candlelit seance, readying a crucifix in case they face the devil himself, or find disturbing, inexplicable things in the unlikeliest of places. Just as the characters feel shock, so do we, constantly kept on edge as we scramble for clues as to the truth behind it all.

As tension and frustration mounts, the once genial friendships begin to break down and become dysfunctional as they continue to argue and disagree with each other, uncertain how much of their convictions to stand by anymore. Little fights break out, characters come clean with confessions and reveal their own selfish desires, and the play climaxes with such intensity, every character seems to reverberate with emotion.

The architecture and interior is a key part of any haunted house narrative, and Francis O’Connor’s set design is effective to playing the dual role of initially feeling like a dream home full of possibility, to slowly becoming the residence of nightmares as little secrets reveal themselves via cleverly hidden tricks in the set-up. The walls, for example, have wallpaper only put up halfway through, or the door half-painted, as if Jenny and Sam are in the midst of refurbishing it as they move in. All angles from the audience point of view have been considered, and no matter where you look, there is the illusion of height and depth, like a stairway leading up to a room out of sight, adding to the sense of realism.

Everything about this set feels believable and is designed to feel like a lived-in, realistic corner of the UK. A monochrome family portrait on the wall that foreshadows what’s to come, a blinking baby monitor carefully placed where we can see it blinking, or a clock whose time shifts to reflect the little time jumps between every scene. We hear the sound of a coffee machine, or real water spills over from the top of the theatre, giving the illusion of rain, and even becomes muted when the door is closed, thanks to sound designer Daniel Wong’s keen attention to even the tiniest changes in atmosphere that affect the sound, such that we become even more aware the moment anything is out of place or the work of a ghost.

2:22 may be a ghost story, but as SRT and this creative team have shown, the things that haunt us aren’t always supernatural, and sometimes are rooted in reality. It is the things that we cannot forget, the relationships that could have been and all the regrets of not paying attention more to the things around us when we could have, that end up stalking the deepest corners of our subconscious. Through 2:22, we are given an opportunity to consider and question our own behaviours and reactions to the things that possess us and bring us fear, to encourage us to have conversations and share our experiences with those around us. Sometimes it is not about going your own way and trying to prove yourself, but about finding a way to connect on the same level, and to find solace in the comfort of others, before we can finally exorcise these ghosts in our heads.

Photo Credits: SRT/Crispian Chan

2:22 – A Ghost Story plays from 15th August to 10th September 2023 at the KC Arts Centre. Tickets available here

Production Credits:

Director: Daniel Jenkins Playwright: Danny Robins Cast: Dominique de Marco, Shane Mardjuki, Sharda Harrison, Andy Tear Set Designer: Francis O’Connor Costume Designer: Tan Jia Hui Lighting Designer: James Tan Sound Designer: Daniel Wong Multimedia Designer: Sharin Zulkinia