‘Northampton audiences know their theatre’: Hear from the stars of 2:22 A Ghost Story

As she joins the UK tour of 2:22 - A Ghost Story, Natalie Casey thinks it's the perfect show for right now. "We're trying to make sense of a world that's becoming increasingly chaotic," she says, "and in times like this people often turn to the idea that there must be some kind of mystical, otherworldly reason why bad stuff is happening. Also, the world which we live in is being dragged in an increasingly ugly direction and a show like this offers some much-needed escapism."

2:22 is a chilling and gripping thriller revolving around young mother Jenny (Shvorne Marks) and her husband Sam (James Bye), who have recently moved into a house that they are in the process of renovating. Every night at precisely 2:22am they hear strange, scary sounds. Jenny is convinced the house is haunted – but Sam is having none of it.

Natalie plays Lauren, an old friend of the couple's who comes round for dinner with her new partner Ben (Gary Lucy). Belief and scepticism clash and the four of them decide to stay up until 2:22 to try and suss out what's really going on.

The actress describes Lauren as "somebody who is very stoic and very intelligent but also she seems to live her life dependent on what other people think of her". It's an interesting juxtaposition for Casey, who adds: "She's somewhere between being very solid and also being cloud-like. I see her as kind of like smoke; she is whatever you want her to be."

She and the character, who works as a psychologist, share some common ground. "I think that I am like Lauren in the way that I seek knowledge. I'm interested in learning things, I'm interested in academia and I'm also very interested in the inner workings of the human mind. But other than that we're very different and I like that. It's part of the fun of this job."

Written by Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast and TV series Uncanny, and directed by Matthew Dunster, 2:22 - A Ghost Story won Best New Play at the Whatsonstage Awards and was nominated for three Oliviers.

It started out at the Noël Coward Theatre in London and has since enjoyed seven seasons in the West End. With 12 replica productions worldwide, it has been seen by more than 1.1 million people in 17 countries across five continents. The show headed out on its first UK tour in 2023 and in 2026 it is back on the road, returning to towns and cities it has previously played as well as visiting new venues.

The edge-of-the-seat thrill ride has been hailed by The Guardian as "a slick, chilling romp of a play". But as Casey points out: "What's interesting about the play is that it's about the supernatural, of course, but it's also about the ghosts of our past in terms of the characters' relationships. It's about the things that we never said, the things we wish we'd said and the people we wished we'd become."

When it comes to ghosts and the supernatural, is she on team sceptic or team believe? "Actually, I'm team science! If at some point somebody can lay it out in front of me with empirical proof then I will believe. All I know is I've never seen anything like that and I've never felt anything like that, but I absolutely and fully support people who say that they have."

Casey came to fame in 1996 as Carol Groves on Hollyoaks and recalls: "It was a real learning curve, like college but with money! I learned about how you should behave in a company of people, about what it means to turn up to somewhere on time and what it means to learn your lines and be professional.

She went on to star in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and has worked extensively on stage. If she had to pick any highlights Abigail's Party would be right up there. "It was a seminal piece of British theatre that resonated with so many people," she says.

"I'm looking forward to meeting people up and down the UK. That's what we need to have more of as a community and a society. We need to get out there and speak to each other. Meeting people at the stage door after a show is my favourite thing."

The tour marks a reunion for Natalie and her former Hollyoaks co-star Gary Lucy, of whom she says: "He's a very intelligent man and he has a stillness and a coolness about him that is infectious. I'm looking forward to getting to know him all over again."

Gary didn't hesitate to say yes to playing Ben, explaining: "It's a great part in such a fantastic, hugely successful play. There's such a buzz around it and Ben is an interesting character. He's a sceptic, he doesn't believe in ghosts and even with all these strange things going on in the house he clings on to logic."

The actor relates to Ben, saying that he too is practical and pragmatic. "But unlike him I'm a believer," Gary adds. "I'm scared of my own shadow, afraid of the dark and I slept with a nightlight on until I was in my 20s."

And when he was touring with The Full Monty in Killarney he visited supposedly-haunted Muckross Abbey and felt a spooky presence. He shivers at the memory. "That scared the bejesus out of me. As beautiful and historic as the place was, I couldn't get out of there fast enough."

The play runs at the Royal & Derngate from Thursday January 8 to Saturday January 17.

Lucy added: "The Royal & Derngate in Northampton is a great theatre, so I can't wait to be back there. Northampton audiences know their theatre and I think they're going to love this play."

Visit royalandderngate.co.uk or call 01604 624811 to book.