Ghost Writer was dubbed "Hot Show of the Week" by the Dallas Morning News and I have to agree. Emily Scott Banks for most of the play was alone on the stage accompanied by only her typewriter and a "ghost". Her performance was nothing short of amazing.The story is of a typist who carries on writing a novel long after the author's death. Throughout the play, she speaks of her experiences with Franklin Woolsey (the author) to a journalist (the audience). Beginning with her first meeting with Mr. Woolsey, she takes us through their time together secluded in an upstairs office interrupted only by his jealous wife. Ms. Banks builds her character and emotions throughout the play. Not only does she do a marvelous job with her lines, I was also impressed with her typing skills. Having learned to type on an old Royal typewriter as a teenager (I'm dating myself here) it's not an easy task pounding on manual keys.
According to the playwriter's notes, Michael Hollinger read a review relating anecdotes of how Henry James' novels expanded when he dictated them to a typist and how years after his death, his typist claimed to continue to receive dictation from her late employer. He added a wife to the cast and Ghost Writer was born.
