Little Lark of London

“Who you gonna call?”

For one day only, the iconic Ghostbusters took over the Royal Albert Hall. An inflatable version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man greeted guests at the entrance, a replica Ectomobile was available for photo opportunities and there were even a few ghosts inside of the building!  Ghostbusters in Concert, one of Hall’s Films in Concert events, allowed audience members to watch the classic 1984 movie on the big screen, with the score being performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Before the film itself, there were several pre-recorded videos from those involved in the film, including Dan Aykroyd, who gives an important PSA about how the Ghostbusters are coming to save orchestras around the world, and Jason Reitman, whose heartfelt speech about his father, the late Ivan Reitman, was a sweet tribute. We are also introduced to the conductor of the performance, Peter Bernstein, the son of the score composer of Ghosterbusters, Elmer Bernstein. Bernstein gave a lovely introductory narrative to the life of his father and his relationship with the film, as well as the impact it had on the movie industry as a whole. 

For those unfamiliar with the film (don’t worry, there were quite a few people there who were seeing it for the first time!), Ghostbusters, written by Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, tells the story of three parapsychologists (Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Ramis as Egon Spengler and Bill Murray as Peter Venkman) who, after being fired from Columbia University, found a ghost-catching business and are joined by Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). Soon, they find themselves caught up in what might be the end of the world, and cellist Dana Barrett (Signourney Weaver) may hold the key with her refrigerator opening to another world. 

Being able to see a classic like Ghostbusters on the big screen is always a delight, and this viewing was only enhanced by being at the Royal Albert Hall. The musicians do a fantastic job with the score, though I do wish they were utilised more throughout, especially when the more electronic theme song, though they do accompany it during the credits which was lovely to see. I also particularly enjoyed seeing the lighting effects change throughout the show, especially the way in which the lighting was used for the lightning effects in the final battle scene!

There were a few aspects of the performance as a whole that could have been improved. When looking at the captions provided during the film, one could note several differences, including removals of quips and remarks that would make the movie more enjoyable, which is a shame for those who were having difficulty hearing the dialogue. Indeed, there were several times in which I was struggling to understand when the characters were talking, especially when the live orchestra was playing underneath them. I do also wish that the Royal Albert Hall would take a strong stance on the usage of phones during concerts, as it was incredibly distracting seeing so many of them being used to film, including a few with the flash on for several minutes!

Ghostbusters does have a 12A rating, so it was a bit surprising to see the number of little children at the Royal Albert Hall that night – during a particularly infamous scene in which Aykroyd’s character, Ray Stanz, appears to be receiving oral sex from a female ghost, his pants magically unzipping and his eyes crossing in what appears to be pleasure. It’s what one would expect from a movie from the 1970s and 80s (in fact, composer Bernstein had first collaborated with Reitman for the R-rated comedy film Animal House), but it was a bit strange hearing a young child a row in front of me asking his father what was happening during that particular scene. 

Ultimately, Ghostbusters in Concert is a fun event for all ages, breathing new life into a classic movie through live music. Ghostbusters was a great choice for the Halloween season and it was lovely to see fans come together for a wonderful night of music, film and, of course, ghosts!

Ghostbusters in Concert ran on 26 October at the Royal Albert Hall. More information can be found here. A digital programme for the performance can be found here.