Richard Fleeshman: “It’s a huge honour to have been given the opportunity to create the role of Sam Wheat in GHOST THE MUSICAL”

Born in 1989, Richard Fleeshman began his professional career at the age of twelve playing Craig Harris for four years in the popular British tv series ‘Coronation Street’. Since then he has kept working as an actor and a singer, releasing his debut album ‘Neon’ in 2007.

Fleeshman made his West End debut in June 2010 playing the role of Warner Huntington III in LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL opposite Sheridan Smith. His second challenge in musical theatre is the role of Sam Wheat in GHOST THE MUSICAL, which is running successfully at West End’s Piccadilly Theatre, where it opened officially on the 19th July 2011.  GHOST THE MUSICAL is the stage musical version of the Academy Award winning film of the same name. The show, directed by Matthew Warchus, has new music and lyrics by Grammy award winning Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard; and Oscar winning Bruce Joel Rubin has adapted his original screen play for the stage.

Richard Fleeshman leads the cast of GHOST THE MUSICAL alongside Caissie Levy, who plays the iconic role of Molly. They are accompanied by Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown and Andrew Langtree as Carl; and by 16 performers and dancers who complete the cast.

Richard Fleeshman tells us about his work in GHOST THE MUSICAL and about his rising career in musical theatre.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO PERFORM THE ROLE OF SAM IN ‘GHOST THE MUSICAL’? It’s a huge honour to have been given the opportunity to create the role of Sam Wheat for the first ever stage musical adaptation of the film. To be able to do this with the original screenplay writer Bruce Joel Rubin was a further privilege and as a result I am loving playing the role.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF PLAYING YOUR CHARACTER? AND THE ONE YOU ENJOY MOST?
The role of Sam is very demanding both physically and emotionally. On the one hand it’s physically tiring because he is onstage throughout the show apart from the times Molly and Oda Mae have songs. There is very little breathing space for me. But on the other hand it is extremely rewarding because I get to play out Sam’s entire emotional journey in front of the audience and this is the challenge I love every night.
 
IT SEEMS THE AUDIENCE LOVES THE SHOW SO FAR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS AMAZING RESPONSE? From one performance to the next you never know how the show will be received. But so far the response has never been less than ecstatic. Sometimes the audience can be very quiet during the show but at the end they still become extremely vocal. We knew during the rehearsals that we were working on something very special but to still continually get this response is amazing.

HOW HAS THE REHEARSAL PROCESS BEEN WITH DIRECTOR MATTHEW WARCHUS? HOW HAS THE SHOW CHANGED SINCE ITS MANCHESTER RUN?
Matthew is an amazing director and I really loved working with him. The initial rehearsal period was an extremely rewarding experience for me and I learned an incredible amount. The show evolved considerably during the Manchester previews and then prior to London we underwent some further changes. The scenic and musical structures have remained pretty constant but within them there have been many many changes. It’s all been in the detail.

YOU AND CAISSIE LEVY PLAY THE MAIN ROLES OF THE SHOW, SAM AND MOLLY. HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR CHEMISTRY ON STAGE FOR THE SHOW? WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH HER? Sam and Molly are a young ‘loved-up’ couple. Chemistry is vital when you’re playing such a relationship onstage, acting alone won’t do it. Caissie is a wonderful person both on and offstage and has been a constant joy to work with. I consider her one of my best friends and that is a fantastic thing to be able to say when you are working with someone so closely.

‘GHOST’ HAS SOME AMAZING ILLUSIONS CREATED BY PAUL KIEVE. HOW DIFFICULT HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU TO MAKE THEM SO REAL? HOW WOULD YOU HIGHLIGHT HIS WORK?
Paul is the master illusionist and I marvel at how he creates what he does. For us he has used a huge amount of Music Hall illusions which have not been seen onstage for many years. He is not relying on technology to create effects which are then at the mercy of technical hitches. He uses people, props and basic stage techniques to create amazing tricks of the eye. It requires a huge amount of discipline from the performers but is always extremely rewarding when you are confronted with people saying, ‘how on earth did you do that?’ For me the highlight has to be the moment when Sam disappears at the end of the show. And I’m not telling you how it’s done!

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT GHOST, THE ORIGINAL MOVIE, BEFORE BEING PART OF THE SHOW? DID YOU LIKE IT?
The film is a classic, Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, that pottery scene! What’s not to like?

YOU MADE YOUR WEST END DEBUT IN ‘LEGALLY BLONDE’ IN JUNE 2010. WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU TO PERFORM THE ROLE OF WARNER?
Any actor´s West End debut is a very special thing and that was mine. Warner was a lovely role and I was thrilled to be asked to do it.

HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN MUSICAL THEATRE SO FAR?
Doing a long running musical is incredibly hard work. The constant rehearsals and eight shows a week take up a huge amount of your time and energy with only one day a week to recharge your batteries. However, it is also quite simply one of the most fun experiences you could ever have. West End musical companies are always a joy to work with, they become a second family.

YOU WERE ONE OF THE GUEST ARTISTS OF JULIE ATHERTON’S CONCERT AT THE APOLLO THEATRE SINGING WITH HER “THE LAST NIGHT OF THE WORLD” OF ‘MISS SAIGON’. WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU?
Julie is a great friend and a great talent and I was thrilled to be able to share that evening with her and duet on such a glorious song.
 
YOU RELEASED YOUR DEBUT ALBUM ‘NEON’ IN 2007. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RELEASE ANOTHER ALBUM WITH YOUR SONGS? It is definitely something I will continue to pursue. At the moment I am wrapped up in GHOST but who knows what the next project will be.  COULD YOU COMMENT ON YOUR FUTURE PROJECTS? Watch this space!

Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman in GHOST THE MUSICAL