Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" - Lyric Hammersmith

Henrik Ibsen’s “Ghosts” – Lyric Hammersmith

Peter Anderson
April 10, 2025

Helena is a woman on a mission. Since the death of her high-flying husband, she has dedicated herself to reclaiming his legacy. And her hard work is about to pay off, with a new children’s hospital bearing his name on the brink of opening.

But when their son Oz returns to the family home for the grand unveiling, he has ambitions of his own. Ambitions that threaten to unravel their family’s most tightly kept secrets.

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre‘s production of Ghosts runs at the venue from now until 10th May 2025. This world premiere production re-situates this classic story into the modern day, and follows in the footsteps of similarly re-lensed classics in the Lyric’s recent history including A Doll’s House and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Reuniting the team behind the critically acclaimed Iphigenia in Splott, Gary Owen’s reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play is directed by Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan.

Casting for the production includes Patricia Allison (Sex Education, A Dolls House Part 2) as Reggie, Callum Scott Howells (It’s a Sin, Cabaret, Romeo & Julie) as Oz, Victoria Smurfit (Rivals, Bloodlands) as Helena, Rhashan Stone (Tambo & Bones, Keeping Faith) as Andersen and Deka Walmsley (Roots, Look Back in Anger) as Jacob. Victoria Smurfit said: “As a long-time admirer of the Lyric and Rachel, to join her cast in Ghosts is a wish I had not been brave enough to wish for but one I am thrilled has now come true!”

Callum Scott Howells said: “I am very excited to be part of this project. Gary Owen’s adaptation sheds brilliant new light on Ibsen’s extraordinary piece and in Rachel O’Riordan’s hands it promises to be an exciting ride. I am looking forward to getting started and getting to know my fellow cast members.” Patricia Allison added: “I’m thrilled to be working on Ghosts; it feels exciting to be part of this new rendition of it.”

Set and Costume Design is by Merle Hensel, Lighting Design by Simisola Majekodunmi, Sound Design by Donato Wharton, Music by Simon Slater and Casting by Anna Cooper CDG. The Assistant Director is Harper K. Hefferon. Rachel O’Riordan, Director and Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, said: “Ghosts is my fifth time collaborating with Gary Owen and I’m delighted to be bringing his radical reimagining of Ibsen’s classic to the Lyric stage in our 130th anniversary year.”

“In transporting the action of the play to present day England, its themes of family loyalty and the legacy of inheritance reveal themselves to be as timely as ever. I couldn’t be prouder of the powerhouse cast we’ve assembled to tell this bold, thrilling story and cannot wait for audiences to see them in action.” Gary Owen’s most recent play Romeo & Julie, also directed by Rachel O’Riordan, at the National Theatre and Sherman Theatre played to 5* reviews.

It was his fourth collaboration with O’Riordan, a relationship which began in 2015 with Iphigenia in Splott for the Sherman Theatre, which then transferred to the Shed at the National, and toured to Berlin and New York. Owen’s other collaborations with O’Riordan are a radical reworking of The Cherry Orchard for the Sherman, which translated the action of the play to 1980s Pembrokeshire at the beginning of the Thatcher era, and Killology, a co-production between the Sherman and the Royal Court, which won Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre at the 2018 Olivier Awards.