THERE won't be a dry eye in the Alhambra when Ghost the Musical comes to town next week.

Based on the hit movie, the show is about a young couple torn apart when Sam is murdered in the street, leaving his beloved Molly griefstricken.

When Sam, now a spirit, sees that Molly is in danger he enlists the help of Oda Mae, an eccentric psychic, to communicate with her.

Niall Sheehy, who plays Sam, says that as well as being about lost love, the show is about expressing love: "Sam is fun-loving and relaxed, but he has an issue expressing love. But even when he hits rock bottom, he doesn’t give up. He’s a fighter."

It’s nearly 30 years - yes, really - since Ghost was released as a film. Why has the story has stood the test of time?

"As much as it’s this wonderful, crazy story, these characters are rooted in truth," says Niall. "Everyone can relate to feelings of loss and of thinking: ‘If only I had five more minutes with them’."

Jacqui DuBois, who plays Oda Mae, adds: "It’s a universal thing. It doesn’t matter what country you come from, what colour you are, what sexuality you are, we all feel this exactly the same way. No-one owns it more than anyone else. If you love, you love. I lost my mother the last time I did this show. That was very hard. But at the end of the show every night I connect with my parents. I think the audience has that too."

The potter’s wheel scene is an iconic moment of movie history. What’s it like to perform on stage?

"I was originally petrified because, apart from being a performer, my artistic qualities are very slim," says Rebekah Lowings, who plays Molly. "But I love that scene because we have so much fun. I wish I could get Niall more messy, but he has a quick change right after and I’m not allowed."

"People want to see those moments because that’s what they remember from the film, but we’re not here to mimic Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg or Demi Moore," says Niall. "Hopefully when people see this show, they’ll see the film they remember but they’ll also see something very different.

What does the music, written by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, bring to the story?

"The songs are so well written, they don’t feel like songs, they feel like an extension of the script," says Rebekah.

Adds Niall: "The music perfectly suit who we are as characters. The writers have done a lot of work on the music, with some of the songs re-written for this production. They’ve reworked it, I think we have an even better piece now."

The show heads into Bradford next week. How's the tour going?

"I love touring. You get to see different cities, different places. My favourite cuisine is curry so I'm really excited about Bradford as they have some incredibly curry houses," says Rebekah. "It will be my main delicacy that week..."

"And the Alhambra is such a beautiful theatre, such a lovely space to perform in," says Niall.

* Ghost the Musical is at the Alhambra from Tuesday to Saturday. Call (01274) 432000.