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Ghosts on Broadway

For most of my life, I've been drawn to scary stories, and so the Broadway musical has been home for me. Even in shows that are not overtly or consistently scary, ghosts tend to play a role:

*Fiddler on the Roof (the "Dream" sequence)
*Next to Normal (the entire show)
*Les Miserables (Fantine jumps back from the Land of the Dead, among others)
*Miss Saigon (You thought Thuy was *fully* dead?)
*Carousel (See Act Two)
*Into the Woods (Keep an eye on the Baker's Wife)
*Sunday in the Park with George (Keep an eye on Dot)
*Hamilton (See the finale, which borrows from "Les Miserables")
*Caroline, or Change (I'd argue that the talking statue of the Confederate soldier functions as a ghost)
*Dear Evan Hansen (See the entirety of the show)
*Ragtime (See "Sarah Brown Eyes")
*Once on This Island (I'd argue that Daniel--right after the car accident--is a kind of ghost for Ti Moune, even though Daniel does also eventually wake up, in a proper way, from his coma)

Ghosts help to "make literal" a phenomenon we all know from our own lives. We're all consistently in dialogue with people who aren't actually standing before us; we're all continuously talking to people who may no longer walk the planet. A musical is over-the-top by definition: People burst into song! So why not literalize the ghost idea, as well?

One of my favorite ghosts is Audra McDonald in the Second Act of "Ragtime." I have a theory that that song was actually meant for Act One, but the writers cut it, and then they came to realize what a treasure they had on their hands with McDonald, and so they reinserted the song--but this time the song became a post-mortem song. Am I wrong about this? I'd almost rather not know.

Of course the greatest of ghosts is Sweeney Todd, who climbs up out of the ashes for the finale of Sondheim's masterpiece. You could argue that Sweeney is actually a ghost for the bulk of the show; he is a ghost as soon as his wife is taken from him. In any case, autumn always make me think of Mr. Todd, and I'm delighted to recall him popping out of a coffin and shaking a finger at us: "To seek revenge may lead to Hell...."

And you? Your favorite musical ghost?

P.S. Remember also FOLLIES!
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