Review: 2:22 A Ghost Story

2:22 The Ghost Story

The young couple Jenny (Pia Andersson) and Sam (Lauri Tilkanen) have had a child and bought an old terraced house, which they have renovated to their liking. The play begins when Sam is on a business trip and Jenny hears strange noises through the baby’s baby monitor at 2:22 a.m. Is it a ghost, have the spirits become angry when too big changes have been made to the apartment? As a man of reason, Sam rejects the idea.

Jenny and Sam invite Sam’s fellow student Lauren (Sanna-June Hyde) to visit. She takes her new boyfriend Ben (Sauli Suonpää) with her. The four decide to stay up until that mysterious 2:22 a.m. to see if there are any strange noises coming from the baby monitor.

Danny Robins’ script keeps you gripping, creates a tight atmosphere.

Pia Andersson empathised well with the role of the wife who was tired during the baby period. Lauri Tilkanen’s Sam was conveyed as confident and scientist-like, as befits the role. Sauli Suonpää’s Ben exuded working-class character in the right way, and Sanna-June Hyde was allowed to shine in the role of Lauren. Good performances all.

Since this is an exciting thriller, I will of course not reveal the plot any further.

The play, directed by Paavo Westerberg, kept the audience in its grip. In the auditorium, you could feel how the atmosphere intensified.

The sound and light effects were arresting, even frightening the first time.

2:22 A Ghost Story premiered in London in 2021, and the Finnish national performance was at the Helsinki City Theatre on 8 February 2024.