Jasmine Vizena has a theory about “Ghost's" enduring appeal.
“When you have a loved one pass away, you like to believe that they’re always around you and protecting you and with you, and in this show, you get to see it, and you get to believe that true love exists far beyond death,” Vizena said. “It gives people the opportunity to believe.”
“Ghost the Musical” is onstage at TheatreZone June 5 through 15.
As in the iconic 1990 film, Sam comes back from the other side to say what he never could in life: “I love you.” It’s a powerful, emotional moment. In the theater, that emotion is amplified both by the actors’ physical presence and the play’s haunting musical score.
“Music really can tell a story more than words can, and I think in this show, the emotional side of things really is pulled out through the music,” said Vizena. “You will cry. There’s nothing like watching a performer be emotional on stage, and you feel a sense of connection with this person. Those are real tears. Those are real emotions. And everyone can relate to losing someone.”
But “Ghost” is just as much a comedy as it is a tragedy and a horror story. Much of the musical’s comedy is provided by Oda Mae Brown.
“She is loud. She is funny,” Vizena said. “She is a bit of a con artist who doesn’t believe that she has what it takes. She’s always been told throughout her life that her gift was something that was passed down from generation to generation, but she never believed it ‘till she meets Sam.”
Vizena has a unique challenge in portraying the wry storefront psychic. She has to pretend she can’t see her co-star in their onstage scenes.
“It’s hard because all of my fellow actors are so funny. Laughter is my favorite thing. So to hold off and try not to react to what he’s doing is quite a challenge. You just have to sort of remind yourself he’s a ghost. You can only hear him. You can’t react to what he’s physically doing.”
For more information, go to https://theatre.zone/ or call 888-966-3352.
MORE INFORMATION:
Hear/read on WGCU: “TheatreZone brings ‘Ghost: The Musical’ to Southwest Florida in June.”
Vizena graduated from Community School of Naples. Mark Danni was her teacher.
“I decided to go to Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, where I majored in performance and minored in dance,” said Vizena. “Then I decided I didn’t have enough training, so I moved to L.A. and went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and got my master's.”
At AMDA, Vizena studied, among other subjects, the socio-political forces and creative impulses that have shaped theatre and performing arts education, theatrical analysis and production, and advanced roles in theatre production, research, and education.
“[The curriculum] dives a little bit deeper into what goes on with performance in film and theater.”
While Vizena took classes in film and television, she said “there’s nothing like being onstage and having a live audience to give you the reaction and help give you the momentum of putting on a good performance.”
“I went away to L.A., but Naples was always calling me back,” said Vizena. “I moved back about four years ago. It was right after COVID and things were shut down and I decided I just want to be closer to home and be with my family. There’s nothing better than home.”
Vizena was surprised upon her return to find so many theaters in Southwest Florida.
“When I originally moved here over 30 years ago, we really didn’t have very many theaters. But now, there’s so many theaters and so many opportunities to do shows you’d never get a chance to do if you were in Broadway or in L.A.”
Like “Ghost: The Musical.”
“People are starting to realize that live theater, it’s something that everyone needs,” Vizena added. “It’s something that even if you’re having a bad day, you can take two hours of your night to go and watch something, laugh, and just forget about all of your worries. It’s worth it as an actor to be able to bring that to somebody.”
In addition to the proliferation of theaters in Southwest Florida, Vizena noticed a newfound passion for theater among audiences in the aftermath of COVID.
“During COVID and the quarantine, everyone was so drawn away from everyone else,” Vizena observed. “Theater really brought people back to humanity. And it made people feel that it’s OK to cry, it’s OK to laugh and to be vulnerable. So I think theater is something everyone should indulge in. Even acting. If people are afraid of acting, just try it. You may end up realizing you really enjoy it and you’re better than you think.”
Vizena’s stage credits include “Sister Act,” “Chicago,” “Shout,” “Annie” and “These Shining Lives.”
In “Chicago,” she starred as Velma Kelly.
“Big, big dance show, I will say,” said Vizena. “It’s a lot to dance and sing at the same time and that show really put it into perspective that actors put themselves through a lot. You don’t realize it until you put yourself through a show like that. You say to yourself, I thought I was in shape. I guess I need to work a little bit harder.”
Several months ago, Vizena heard that TheatreZone and her former teacher, Mark Danni, were looking for someone who could carry the character of Oda Mae Brown.
“They wanted someone who had that same sense of humor, who could pull that off while at the same time being warm-hearted and likeable,” Vizena said. “I just thought I’ve always wanted to be in this show but never thought that I would have the opportunity. And when he asked me, I said absolutely. I’d love to take this journey and see what I can do with this character.”
One of the chief reasons Vizena was drawn to the role was the arc of her character’s relationship with Sam over the course of the play.
“He brings her into a world where she realizes she has a purpose,” Vizena noted. “She has more belief in herself at the end. She knows she can do it. She’s vulnerable and she doesn’t like to show that vulnerability, but with Sam and the relationship and the friendship she develops with him, she starts to realize that the gift that she has is exactly what it is. It’s a gift. And she uses it to help people at the end.”
Vizena is eager for audiences to witness their evolving friendship. She also predicted that audiences will thoroughly enjoy that pivotal moment when she hears Sam’s voice for the first time.
“I think everyone has a moment where they say, ‘Did that just happen?’ In the play, the audience gets to watch her have that realization and fight it at the same time. She’s hearing him, but she’s also saying, ‘No, that’s not possible. I know I didn’t just hear that,’ and then you start to see her kind of realize oh wow, this is real. I have a gift! Now, what do I do with it? Do I run from it, or do I use it to help people? But Sam doesn’t give her much of a choice. He’s not going to let her run from it. He’s not going to let her go. He’s going to get her to help him, no matter what.”
It’s also a role reversal of sorts. Prior to hearing Sam, Oda Mae is the ultimate user. She uses other people and their misfortunate to make money. Now, Sam is using her to save Molly and exact retribution on those who stole his life.
“It’s a funny show in the fact that they bicker a lot,” Vizena added. “They really play off of each other.”
While the characters may play off one another, Vizena can never really look at or touch her counterpart.
“I can see the other actor on stage, but my character can’t actually see him. She can only hear him. So from an acting standpoint, I have to put that wall up where I can’t see him, even though I can. I have to look beyond him, which I’ve never done before and which is another reason I really wanted to take this role on. It’s something I would never get a chance to do, so in order to get this role perfect, I do have to look past him … unfortunately.”
Vizena has two songs in “Ghost.” The first is “Are You a Believer?”
“Oda Mae has two sisters, and in the beginning, we’re obviously putting on a con, so we’re asking, are you a believer? Because what we’re doing is completely fake.”
The other is “I’m Out of Here.”
“They’re both big, loud, brassy songs, just like Oda Mae, and they’re the fun, upbeat songs of the show,” Vizena said. “The music is a lot of fun.”
While Vizena’s performance is the catalyst that moves the action forward, the actor said that audiences will also bask in the love Sam and Molly recreate onstage.
You know, I think everyone wants to believe that you can find your true love, and this movie really does give you that feeling that love is out there and even once it’s gone, it’s never truly gone,” Vizena concluded. “Anthony Nuccio and Kara Konken have done shows together, so they’ve been able to create quite a bit of chemistry between their characters. It’s there. You’ll see it when you’re in the audience. They both have the most beautiful voices, and when they sing together, it almost brings you to tears, and the emotional side of it really comes out. Love conquers all, and you do see love and respect with these two actors.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.