REVIEW: THE HUNGRY GHOST @ BUSH THEATRE

🎭 The Hungry Ghost

📍 Bush Theatre Studio, 7 Uxbridge Road, London, W12 8LJ

🗓 Wednesday 14th September 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

QUEER ROMANCE MEETS DEMON HIJACKING

No-one loves a bit of spooky theatre more than me, and earlier this week I headed to the Bush Theatre's intimate studio space to catch THE HUNGRY GHOST.

Mei Leng Yew’s debut play is an absolute riot of a production that promised to balance supernatural chills with some seriously sharp, laugh-out-loud relationship comedy. When I first entered the venue, there was a guy frantically asking a member of staff about the content warnings. She was doing her absolute level best to explain everything without giving away any spoilers, and what I took from the conversation I overheard is that we were in for something genuinely terrifying.

Personally, I found it to be quite tame if I'm honest. Creepy? Perhaps a little. But scary? No. There was maybe one moment during Act 2 that could induce proper chills, but other than that, it's not going to leave you checking under the bed.

What it lacks in pure terror, however, it more than makes up for with a brilliant setup. It’s the first night of the Hungry Ghost Festival, and Olivier Award nominee Mei Mac plays Girl, a young Chinese-British woman desperately trying to juggle a million secrets. She's moving into a new flat with her girlfriend Naomi - a relationship she hasn't exactly been open about with her traditional mother. When her mum gives her some frantic cultural warnings about leaving offerings for the dead, Girl scoffs, pockets a rogue coin, and pinches an item from the altar.

Big mistake. Huge.

She accidentally invites a terrifying, incredibly thirsty vampiric spirit - played with a brilliantly eerie, physical intensity by Isabella Wei - straight into her life. What follows is a wild, literal tug-of-war for physical control that tears Girl’s carefully constructed house of cards wide open.

The level of performance from this cast is undeniable. Mei Mac is sensational in the lead role, capturing that frantic, anxious energy of someone trying to keep up appearances while her body is literally being hijacked by an ancient demon. The physical comedy and body-horror elements are tightly choreographed, making the supernatural possession feel both genuinely unsettling and hilarious. Isabella Wei is a total scene-stealer as the ghost, bringing a slinky, menacing presence that contrasts beautifully with the grounded confusion of the relationship as it unravels under the wildest circumstances imaginable.

Directed with an energetic flair by Ailin Conant and produced alongside New Earth Theatre, this world premiere turns the traditional Chinese-British cultural narrative right on its head. It delivers a slick, queer rom-com that manages to hold your attention from the second the lights go down.

Yimei Zhao’s set design in the Bush Studio also deserves a massive shout-out. The aesthetic is incredibly cool, featuring a striking pink floor and a shifting, neon LED-lit cubic frame that adapts effortlessly to the play’s structural design. It keeps the production feeling modern, stylish, and claustrophobic all at once. On the sound side, Carla Ng's compositions work well to enhance the atmosphere, and while Cheng Keng’s lighting is handled with real gumption during the critical climax, it's perhaps a bit too wishy-washy during the bulk of the play.

If there’s a slight snag, the 1-hour and 50-minute runtime (with an interval) feels just a touch stretched. The first half drags a bit too much and would benefit from being tightened up, and there are elements of the writing at times that feel a bit juvenile. Thankfully, the script gets much stronger as the story progresses, and a far more robust second half ties up its emotional and supernatural threads beautifully.

But honestly, the sheer charisma of the cast more than makes up for any pacing issues. It’s fresh, it’s queer, it’s creepy, and it’s a fiercely original take on identity and superstition. It's actually a bloody good time at the theatre!

Performances of THE HUNGRY GHOST continue until the appropriately spooky date of Saturday 31st October. The run is currently sold out, but CLICK HERE to find out more about the play and to keep up to date on ticket availability.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of The Hungry Ghost was gifted by Bush Theatre, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST:

Mei Mac as Girl; Isabella Wei as Ghost; Adrianna Kei as Sainsbury's worker

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 50 minutes, including interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Adult themes; Mild language; Blackouts; Loud noises; Smoke effects

AGE GUIDELINE:

16+

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