I had such an incredible time at Rock River Repertory Theatre Company's performance of Ghost the Musical!
The show was by turns funny, romantic, tragic, painful, terrifying, triumphant; always beautiful, always breathtaking.
Afterward, I got to meet the actors who played Sam, Molly, Oda Mae, and of course CARL ❤️. They were all super sweet and friendly, and very patient with my enthusiasm for the story.
Riley Parkhurst, a.k.a. Carl Bruner!!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Riley has a great voice, and he gave Carl the proper amount of awkward, dorky charm. He was also especially good at putting up with my fangasming, given most of it was directed at him.
Hayley Rosenthal, a.k.a. Molly Jensen!
Hayley's grief throughout the show felt very real to me... it was almost palpable, and it broke my heart in all the right ways. She was beautiful and painful to watch, and her voice is utterly lovely. She is such a complete sweetheart in person, too!
Ryan Rammelt, a.k.a. Sam Wheat!
Ryan is an incredible performer, with a powerful voice and a lot of emotion in every aspect of his portrayal. He managed to bring across both the easy-going, fun side of Sam when he's just being a goof, and Sam's fear and despair at his death, his painful longing for Molly, and his quiet fury at Carl. These deep emotions were etched into every line of his face, every movement, every note.
We only spoke a minute or two after the show, but he seems like a really nice guy in person—actually, a lot like his character.
Deshawn Christiansen, a.k.a. Oda Mae Brown!
She is such a strong, clever, and funny performer! The huge energy she put into every one of her musical numbers was amazing, and whenever things got almost too dark and painful to handle, her Oda Mae pulled it back into the light. She was an utter joy to watch.
I hate how I look in this photo but oh well. -.-
They all signed my program, too—both with their names, and their characters'!
I have too many thoughts and feelings about this wonderful show to even begin to explain right now, but I just needed to post at least something ASAP.
