The Hungry Ghost | Bush Theatre

What if finding a coin on the street brought you not good luck, but possession?

The Hungry Ghost is brought to the Bush Theatre by New Earth Theatre, the UK’s leading BESEA (British East and Southeast Asian) theatre company, and the story is firmly rooted in Chinese culture. It follows a four-act structure from Classical Chinese poetry, and centres the Asian tradition of the Hungry Ghost Festival. 

During this festival, hungry ghosts, who have suffered violent or unhappy deaths, roam the world of the living in search of food, entertainment, or to deal with unfinished business. 

While Chinese culture may sit at the heart of the play, its protagonist, Girl (Mei Mac) begins the narrative with a more conflicted relationship with her roots. She is ready to move in with her girlfriend, Naomi, and her mother’s insistence that she shouldn’t be out after dark due to the hungry ghosts is seriously cramping her style. 

But perhaps she should have heeded her mum’s warnings, as far from providing good luck, the coin she picks up off the street opens the door for Ghost (Isabella Wei) to possess her, setting her on a path of hunger and desire which threatens to destroy both her and Naomi. 

Mei Mac is given the task not only of portraying Girl, but also a whole host of supporting characters, including Mum and Naomi, and she takes to this with gusto, seamlessly switching between accents and mannerisms to populate the stage with characters. 

Ailin Conant’s direction comes into play here, and combines with the work of movement director Jasmine Chiu in scenes in which Girl and Ghost fluidly mirror each other’s actions, reinforcing the fact that they are, for much of the play, inhabiting the same body. 

The other half of this pairing, Isabella Wei, stalks the stage as Ghost, a menacing presence but also an amusing one, as this play is very much a comedy as well as a horror story.

In an assured debut, playwright Mei Leung Yew, treads this line effectively, giving us moments of genuine fear (accentuated by lighting from Cheng Keng and sound from Carla Ng), moments of laughter, and also moments that warm the heart. 

For horror with real heart, The Hungry Ghost is the perfect addition to your spooky season lineup this October.

The Hungry Ghost runs at the Bush Theatre until 31st October. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Corrine Cumming