This past Friday, Ghoumaster invited We Are Indie Horror to attend the opening night of Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse. When we took our seats, we were not quite sure what to expect. The theater is very small and intimate, with creepy sounds and decor to get you in the mood. Once the specacle started, it became quite apparent that this was more than a song and dance show.
Ghoulmaster and his ghostly posse are trying to ignite the Halloween festivities by dropping a magical potion onto Ghoulmaster’s globe, awakening all the spirits of Halloween. Of course things don’t exactly pan out the way he hopes, otherwise it’d be a very short show. The 90 minute extravaganza is filled with witty jokes, phenomenal costuming and some truly wicked choreography. The actors constantly had us laughing, while the dancers amazed us with their impeccable moves. This show belongs on a bigger stage where Ghoulmaster can really strut his stuff.
Ghoulmaster is surrounded by a great cast of actors and dancers, whose comedic timing are spot on and delightful. The butler steals the show with his incessant rambling and constant shakiness. The other ghouls do a great job of keeping the show moving forward. The show felt like all the Halloween specials we’d watched as children rolled up into one big show.
Ghoulmaster’s defining moment for me was right before the end of the first act, where he sits in his dressing room as a stage hand reads awful reviews about his show. What comes next is an incredibly powerful image with a greater message. We will not spoil the surprise here but we believe it is important to explain the message. It becomes apparent throughout the show that Ghoulmaster is constantly ridiculed and disliked by those who don’t understand him. Instead of trying to include the nay-sayers, he sends the message that if anyone is going to stop him from doing what he loves and speaking his mind, it’s him. The overall message throughout the show has you inspired to never stop from achieving your dreams and it doesn’t really matter how different we all are because being ourselves makes us great.
Overall Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse was a great show with everything you’d expect out of an off broadway stage in a black box theater that seats under 100. Both intimate and extravagant. The show runs on weekends now through Halloween night at the Hudson Mainstage Theater.
