Since its dazzling West End premiere in 2021, Danny Robins’ thriller play 2:22 A Ghost Story has seen star-studded cast after star-studded cast, received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play and provoked a spine-tinglingly positive audience reception. This popularity has followed in each ghostly footstep of its 2025 UK Tour, and from October 6 to 11, 2:22 A Ghost Story is making Brighton’s Theatre Royal its new haunt.
Strictly Come Dancing couple and real-life partners Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton play Jenny and Sam: new parents ‘doing up’ a house that is home to a lot of history, noisy foxes in the garden and a temperamental Alexa watching ethereally over them. Sam has been away for a work trip, leaving Jenny and baby all alone with just a baby monitor and teddy bear for company. On his return, they are joined by old friend Lauren (Shvorne Marks) and her new boyfriend Ben (Grant Kilburn) who visit for a dinner party filled to the brim with brewing mystery and several very generous glasses of wine.
But celebrities aren’t the only thing treading the boards at 2:22; ever since Sam left, something has been making troubling noises in the baby’s bedroom at the same time every night. What time? That’s right: 2:22. But Jenny has a hard time convincing the stubbornly logical Sam of what she heard. So, she persuades everyone to stay up until that dreaded hour to see for themselves. But just what will they hear when the clock strikes 2:22? That’s one secret I couldn’t possibly divulge; you’ll just have to see for yourself…
The play was less horrifying than I thought, with much of the tension stemming from the characters’ relationship conflicts and Jenny’s struggle to convince Sam of her experience. That said, there was a delightfully twisted anticipation in watching the ever-present digital clock tick slowly towards 2:22. The jumpscares worked well, despite becoming a little repetitive; almost every scene change was punctuated with a sudden deafening scream and a flash of red lights to make us jump. I won’t pretend it didn’t work – I nearly showered the lady in front of me with my Malbec the first time – but as the evening went on, they began to feel like ‘cheap scares’ lacking both a variety and subtlety that would have elevated the experience for me.
As with most thrillers, there is a big reveal, which is foreshadowed with a (thankfully) greater degree of delicacy. Whether or not you figure it out – there is enough meat behind the ghostly sheets to keep you intrigued, including some philosophical debates around the existence (or lack thereof) of ghosts, tense back-and-forth between Ben and Sam about suburban gentrification and some interesting social commentary on the role of technology in modern life. Think of it as An Inspector Calls meets The Woman in Black and you won’t be too far wrong.
Overall, I enjoyed my time (pun intended) at 2:22. It will make a fun night out for those who like a little extra thrill in their theatrical experience, but shouldn’t leave you too haunted when you get home. Shows runs this week every day until Saturday at 7.30pm, with matinee performances on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.
Tickets available from £15: ATG Tickets
Address: Theatre Royal, New Road, Brighton, BN1 1SD
