2:22 A Ghost Story - A Haunting Night at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
General News
Wednesday 31st, July 2024
From the initial opening night in August 2021 at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End, 2:22 A Ghost Story has gone on to prove that there is a life after opening night. The many theatre's the show has haunted has grown and the overall feedback has been hauntingly positive.
Too many ghost references, so lets move one.
2:22 A Ghost Story is a thriller play by Danny Robins, who is also behind the Uncanny podcast, live shows and UncannyCon.
With a strong cast consisting of Shona McGarty, Jay McGuiness, Colin O’Donoghue and Laura Whitmore, half the cast are new to the show, with exception of Whitmore who had done a stint at the Criterion Theatre previously in the role as Jenny and McGuiness reprising his role as Ben.
From the opening the show is engaging and leaves open the anticipation of what might happen next as most have gone into the show expecting a ghost story of some sort.
New parents Jenny and Sam are settling into their partially renovated home in suburban London. Sam is a scientist, while Jenny is a teacher. One evening, they invite over Lauren (played by Laura Whitmore) and her boyfriend Ben for dinner. Lauren, who is a psychiatrist, has been friends with Sam since their college days. Ben, who comes from a working class background, initially met Lauren when he was hired to renovate her bathroom, and they've been together ever since as he never left. Sam has recently returned from a business trip, during which Jenny became convinced that their home is haunted by the previous owner, who she believes appears at 2:22 a.m. every night, in the baby’s room.
We don't want to give too much away and spoil any night you might have planned. With that said we do want to call out a few things we liked.
From our point of view it is clear as day that the story has been written by someone either involved in paranormal experiences or someone that has read or listened to many, many paranormal stories or reports.
The play just oozes paranormal from the hard to see references to the obvious references, keep an eye out you might spot a few gems.
The biggest part of the show that caught our attention and we loved were the four characters embodying one of the main four stand points when it comes to any paranormal story, show, vigil or investigation. The staunch believer (Jenny), the skeptic (Sam), the on-the-fence person (Lauren) and the religious stand point (Sam).
The show tackles all the regular sore-points that come up when talking about or debating the paranormal and whether it is real or a construct of the imagination. All the while making it a light hearted and fun show to watch regardless of if you have an interest in the paranormal world or not.
As shows go, all four main actors came across very well and seemed to embody the role they played. We shall be back before the shows run finishes on the 11th of August to try spot some things we missed during the first time seeing it like the teddy bear.
It would be amiss to talk about a show in the Olympia Theatre about a ghost story and not mention the ghostly going-ons that have been reported for years in the Olympia itself.
Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, a beloved venue with a rich history of hosting world-famous performers, is also renowned for its ghostly residents. Originally opened in 1878 as The Star of Erin, the Victorian building has seen the likes of Laurel and Hardy, Noel Coward, and Alec Guinness grace its stage. Yet, it is the unexplained supernatural activity that has captivated the imagination of staff and visitors alike.
Poltergeist phenomena have been reported at the Olympia Theatre for decades, with incidents ranging from violently rattling doors and windows to ghostly footsteps echoing through its corridors. One of the most chilling accounts comes from Maureen Grant, a long-time employee who worked at the theatre until her passing in 2021. Maureen’s first encounter occurred when she was changing for a shift. Standing in her underwear, she was startled as the bathroom door flew open. After she closed it, the door began to rattle and her uniform inexplicably flew off the hook. Terrified, Maureen grabbed her coat and fled to the café, where she realised the colleague she suspected of playing a prank was actually seated and having a meal.
This marked the beginning of a series of strange events for Maureen. Over the years, she and other staff members reported malfunctioning light switches, eerie sounds of a baby crying, and an increasing sense of unease. Despite bringing in a medium to investigate, the paranormal activity only intensified. The medium reportedly identified the source of the baby’s crying as a boy named "Parker," although staff had affectionately named the ghost "Charlie Parker."
The theatre’s bar, now known as Maureen’s Bar, has also been a hotspot for paranormal activity. Staff have witnessed glasses flying off shelves and smashing on the floor, and coins mysteriously moving within the tills. Such occurrences have become so frequent that the theatre’s ghostly inhabitants seem to have settled in for a long residency.
In 2008, magician Joe Daly experienced a strange and unsettling event while preparing for his show "Magick Macabre". Although he had not spent much time in his dressing room, on one occasion he felt an inexplicable presence that made him uneasy. When he mentioned this to the stage doorman, he was told, "good luck up there, that’s the haunted one." Joe decided to forfeit his private dressing room and share with other cast members rather than remain alone in the eerie space.
John Brogan, who worked as the Olympia’s stage manager for 33 years, also had a paranormal encounter early in his career. He recalled watching a blue light float out of a dressing room, up the corridor towards him, before it turned a corner and disappeared.
We would also like to say a big thanks to staff member Aaron for helping resolve a ticket issue, he is a gentleman and a credit to the Olympia.
Too many ghost references, so lets move one.
2:22 A Ghost Story is a thriller play by Danny Robins, who is also behind the Uncanny podcast, live shows and UncannyCon.
With a strong cast consisting of Shona McGarty, Jay McGuiness, Colin O’Donoghue and Laura Whitmore, half the cast are new to the show, with exception of Whitmore who had done a stint at the Criterion Theatre previously in the role as Jenny and McGuiness reprising his role as Ben.
From the opening the show is engaging and leaves open the anticipation of what might happen next as most have gone into the show expecting a ghost story of some sort.
New parents Jenny and Sam are settling into their partially renovated home in suburban London. Sam is a scientist, while Jenny is a teacher. One evening, they invite over Lauren (played by Laura Whitmore) and her boyfriend Ben for dinner. Lauren, who is a psychiatrist, has been friends with Sam since their college days. Ben, who comes from a working class background, initially met Lauren when he was hired to renovate her bathroom, and they've been together ever since as he never left. Sam has recently returned from a business trip, during which Jenny became convinced that their home is haunted by the previous owner, who she believes appears at 2:22 a.m. every night, in the baby’s room.
We don't want to give too much away and spoil any night you might have planned. With that said we do want to call out a few things we liked.
From our point of view it is clear as day that the story has been written by someone either involved in paranormal experiences or someone that has read or listened to many, many paranormal stories or reports.
The play just oozes paranormal from the hard to see references to the obvious references, keep an eye out you might spot a few gems.
The biggest part of the show that caught our attention and we loved were the four characters embodying one of the main four stand points when it comes to any paranormal story, show, vigil or investigation. The staunch believer (Jenny), the skeptic (Sam), the on-the-fence person (Lauren) and the religious stand point (Sam).
The show tackles all the regular sore-points that come up when talking about or debating the paranormal and whether it is real or a construct of the imagination. All the while making it a light hearted and fun show to watch regardless of if you have an interest in the paranormal world or not.
As shows go, all four main actors came across very well and seemed to embody the role they played. We shall be back before the shows run finishes on the 11th of August to try spot some things we missed during the first time seeing it like the teddy bear.
It would be amiss to talk about a show in the Olympia Theatre about a ghost story and not mention the ghostly going-ons that have been reported for years in the Olympia itself.
Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, a beloved venue with a rich history of hosting world-famous performers, is also renowned for its ghostly residents. Originally opened in 1878 as The Star of Erin, the Victorian building has seen the likes of Laurel and Hardy, Noel Coward, and Alec Guinness grace its stage. Yet, it is the unexplained supernatural activity that has captivated the imagination of staff and visitors alike.
Poltergeist phenomena have been reported at the Olympia Theatre for decades, with incidents ranging from violently rattling doors and windows to ghostly footsteps echoing through its corridors. One of the most chilling accounts comes from Maureen Grant, a long-time employee who worked at the theatre until her passing in 2021. Maureen’s first encounter occurred when she was changing for a shift. Standing in her underwear, she was startled as the bathroom door flew open. After she closed it, the door began to rattle and her uniform inexplicably flew off the hook. Terrified, Maureen grabbed her coat and fled to the café, where she realised the colleague she suspected of playing a prank was actually seated and having a meal.
This marked the beginning of a series of strange events for Maureen. Over the years, she and other staff members reported malfunctioning light switches, eerie sounds of a baby crying, and an increasing sense of unease. Despite bringing in a medium to investigate, the paranormal activity only intensified. The medium reportedly identified the source of the baby’s crying as a boy named "Parker," although staff had affectionately named the ghost "Charlie Parker."
The theatre’s bar, now known as Maureen’s Bar, has also been a hotspot for paranormal activity. Staff have witnessed glasses flying off shelves and smashing on the floor, and coins mysteriously moving within the tills. Such occurrences have become so frequent that the theatre’s ghostly inhabitants seem to have settled in for a long residency.
In 2008, magician Joe Daly experienced a strange and unsettling event while preparing for his show "Magick Macabre". Although he had not spent much time in his dressing room, on one occasion he felt an inexplicable presence that made him uneasy. When he mentioned this to the stage doorman, he was told, "good luck up there, that’s the haunted one." Joe decided to forfeit his private dressing room and share with other cast members rather than remain alone in the eerie space.
John Brogan, who worked as the Olympia’s stage manager for 33 years, also had a paranormal encounter early in his career. He recalled watching a blue light float out of a dressing room, up the corridor towards him, before it turned a corner and disappeared.
We would also like to say a big thanks to staff member Aaron for helping resolve a ticket issue, he is a gentleman and a credit to the Olympia.
