Manchester plays host to the World Premiere of GHOST The Musical this month as it opens for a 7 week run at the Opera House. The musical stage adaption of the Oscar winning 1990 movie look set to dazzle its audiences with songs created by former Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard along with spectacular illusions by Paul Kieve.

The show tells the timeless story about the power of love, where Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next trying to communicate with his girlfriend Molly through a phoney psychic in the hope of saving her from his murderer.

Playing the lead roles of Sam and Molly are ex Coronation Street star Richard Fleeshman and Broadway actress Cassie Levy. We caught up with Richard whilst in the last few days of rehearsals to get the low down on what has become one of the most anticipated musical to hit Manchester.

 How does it feel to be the first person to play Sam in GHOST The Musical?

It’s the dream for most actors to be able to create a role from scratch so I’m really fortunate that it’s happened for me this early on in my career. Often you go into a job where the rehearsal seem to follow a certain pattern already set, you can ask ‘Why do I go over there at this point’ and you’ll get an answer like ‘Because the last guy who played that role did’. It is so lovely to have such a massive creative journey like this, I’m a bit spoilt to be honest.

There’s lots of special effects in the show, what can we expect?

We have an illusionist, Paul Kieve, helping create the effects and what he has come up with is phenomenal. I’m involved with the effects of course but even I can’t understand how it is happening. People walk through doors, people jump into different people’s bodies and I disappear completely from the stage before the audience’s eyes. It’s amazing what we have managed to fit in to 2 hours and 15 minutes the show lasts.

GHOST is such an iconic film, how do you compete with that when bringing it to the stage?

Obviously what Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore brought to the parts of Sam and Molly was breathtaking, so for us to try and do a carbon copy would fall short really. What we have done is try to work on trying to capture the essence of the love story and find that truth within- hopefully we can create the same reaction in that way.

 Will the stage show be a carbon copy of the film?

What is so great about our director Matthew Warchus is, instead of just translating the film exactly how it is onscreen, he has mixed it up a bit. Obviously, there will be moments that the audience will instantly recognise, like the Unchained Melody song and the Potters Wheel but we will be wrong footing people in terms of story order in terms of why they happened and how they happened. The show is not going to be a case of the audience watching and thinking ‘oh this is the point when…’ the ingredients will be in there but just not where people expect!

 You are a Manchester lad, so what does it mean to you having the World Premiere here at the Opera House?

Whenever you perform on home soil it’s the best feeling in the world. For GHOST to open in my home town, it’s great for Manchester and it’s fantastic for me – I just can’t take it all in.

GHOST The Musical, at the Opera House, Manchester from 28 March – 14 May 2011

Tickets: £17.50 - £43.50, plus concessions, Telephone: 0844 847 2295

www.ghostthemusical.com