What I liked
Lacey Buchanan carries the show as Nessa, imbuing the character with heart, humor, and quiet grief. The production soars when the focus is on her perspective about her loved ones, her life, her death, etc. And the driver’s occasional appearance is striking and unsettling, and I wanted more of it!
What I didn't like
This may have been a stylistic choice because (spoilers), this isn’t the first time that Nessa has experienced the events of her own funeral. But apart from the actor playing Nessa’s father, it didn’t seem like anyone was really grieving her death? It struck me as odd, especially when Buchanan’s performance feels so grounded in the reality of the circumstances.
My overall impression
ghosttown is an engaging exploration of two central questions. The first: “What would it be like to attend your own funeral after you died?” The second: “Can anyone really know another person fully?” Kellie Pleshinger’s script grapples with one deceased woman’s realization that those closest to her never knew the deepest parts of her. Was that their fault? Was it hers? The production finds power in never providing an easy answer.
