Party Ghost | Double Take

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Party Ghost’s spooky, horror comedy was an absolute delight and had me belly laughing for a full 55 minutes. The performance started as soon as we were in the lobby, being handed sandwiches by a mourner in a black veil. I was a little worried when I saw a sign that there would be audience participation in the show, but it ended up being so well thought out and funny that I really enjoyed it (especially since it wasn’t me participating.) 

Comedy is really difficult to pull off and every beat in every joke in Party Ghost landed. It also takes a really strong performance to land jokes that have minimal, if any, dialogue attached to them. There were some simple but really well constructed props, gags and tricks that brought that element of magic to the show and had me on the edge of my seat waiting for each reveal. 

The spectacular performances were a real stand out of this show. Oliva Porter and Jarred Dewey were charismatic, campy and expressive. As an audience member I felt like the pair of ghostly twins grabbed me by each arm and flung me through their ridiculous story while they showed off some really impressive physical skills. Their performances were the key to stringing together the comedy, circus skills and story into a cohesive and engaging show.  

A perfect example of this is the opening trapeze act performed by Dewey as an overly dramatic grieving mother. It was a blend of macabre, amusing and impressive that signposted the tone of the entire show really well. 

The subject matter of the show was also a major part of why I enjoyed it so much. The occult horror setting and scary ghost characters introduced tension and mystery in the story and gave it a lot of depth.  If it had been a straight up comedy with no horror elements I think the show would have felt really flat. So much really good comedy comes out of that blend of the two seemingly contradictory genres.

Fantastic show, I will be eagerly keeping my eye out for their next one.