The new stage phenomenon that has taken the West End by storm is now coming to Cornwall Playhouse.

Winner of Best News Play at the Whatsonstage Awards, the supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story stars Jay McGuiness (singer from the The Wanted and Strictly Come Dancing star), Fiona Wade (Emmerdale, Silent Witness), George Rainsford (Call the Midwife, Casualty) and Vera Chok (Hollyoaks, Cobra).

Written by Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcasts Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist, 2:22 is described as a funny and adrenaline-filled night where secrets emerge and ghosts may or may not appear… 

Diane Parkes caught up with Jay McGuiness and Vera Chok to find out about the show and their own brushes with spooky goings-on.

What can audiences expect from 2:22 - A Ghost Story?

Jay: A couple are hosting a dinner party and they’ve got a young child, and the mother is convinced that a ghost haunts the house at 2:22 in the morning. My character Ben and Vera’s character Lauren arrive for the dinner party. They decide to stay up late, drink far too much wine and see if there’s any truth in the ghost at 2:22. Arguments, wine, snogging, crying babies and shrieking audiences ensue.

Vera: The husband doesn’t believe the wife but the wife convinces the dinner guests to stay up to 2:22 to wait for the ghosts. Then we see some very tangled relationships unravel through the evening. It’s funny and messy.

The show has been really successful, why do you think that is?

Vera: It’s entertaining but also has a lot of contemporary issues in it without being heavy-handed. People connect with it on so many different levels.

Jay: The show is funny and it’s scary and it makes people’s hearts race. The script stands up so well to multiple views and that’s why people keep coming back and seeing it again because there are so many things you’re going to notice once you’ve seen what happens at 2:22.

What do you think makes a show scary?

Jay: A key ingredient is anticipation. That anticipation of what could be there is an almost enjoyable torture and then you get the releases with what it turns out to be.

Vera: 2:22 is so very well written and it works on two levels. You’ve got the ghost which is or isn’t coming at 2:22 and at the same time you’re seeing relationships break down and because you care about the characters that adds to the horror of it.

Have you ever seen or experienced a ghostly or other worldly encounter?

Jay: I don’t think I’ve ever had any spooky experience although as a kid I terrified myself imagining things. Going up to the bathroom and coming back downstairs, I used to sprint back to the TV room because my imagination was running wild.

Vera: I thought I had when I was little but it turned out to be monkeys on the roof. They were running around and leaving handprints.

Are there any cities or venues on the tour which you’re particularly looking forward to visiting?

Vera: I have extended family in Nottingham and I’m looking forward to going back to Liverpool because I used to work there because of Hollyoaks so I have friends there. I’m also looking forward to Truro, Aberdeen and Blackpool because I’ve never been to these places and I’m just so excited to explore.

Finally, why should audiences come and see 2:22 – A Ghost Story?

Vera: I don’t think there’s any other show like this out there. It’s entertaining, it’s intelligent, it gives you something to talk about and it brings people together. It’s meaningful fun.

Jay: It’s like the theatre event of the year, this play has taken the UK by storm. I’m happy to be in it but even watching it I felt like ‘this is what all the fuss is about’.

  • 2:22 A Ghost Story comes to Truro's Hall for Cornwall from April 16 to 20. Age recommendation 12+.