Tony-Nominated Alex Brightman Stars in 'There Are No Ghosts at the Grand,' Game Wins Tribeca Award

Broadway actor and singer Alex Brightman will voice the lead character, Chris, in the forthcoming game "There Are No Ghosts at the Grand." Brightman's theatrical career includes two nominations for Best Actor in a Musical at the Tonys, specifically in 2016 for "School of Rock" and in 2019 for "Beetlejuice." He is currently performing in "Schmigadoon!" on Broadway and lends his voice to various characters in the animated series "Hazbin Hotel."

The casting news coincides with the game securing the top award among 12 submissions at the 25th anniversary Tribeca Games Festival in New York City.

"There Are No Ghosts at the Grand" is the debut title from British studio Friday Sundae. Anil Glendinning, co-founder and managing director of Friday Sundae, described the studio's development approach as highly bootstrapped and nontraditional, fostering a collaborative environment, particularly in casting. For the main player character, the studio sought a voice capable of conveying both sinister and humorous, as well as sincere and shady, qualities.

Glendinning explained that Brightman was discovered by chance through a "Beetlejuice" clip, leading to a connection facilitated by other video game professionals. This scrappy methodology extended to finding other actors, many of whom are primarily musicians and singers. The studio adapted game characters to the performers themselves, including their musical leitmotifs, which were derived from their natural musical styles.

This collaborative blend, according to Glendinning, differs from an auteur perspective, being a collective effort involving a small group of artists, musicians, developers, and writers. While not initially conceived as a musical-forward game, the songs grew to reflect the characters and the multicultural cast. The development team treated the process akin to a band, providing voice actors with scripts upon entering the studio and encouraging improvisation. The team sometimes incorporated unscripted lines spoken by actors during recordings.

The game is targeting a teen rating, meaning any swearing from improvisations is excluded. A demo for "There Are No Ghosts at the Grand" is currently available on Steam, with the full release anticipated later this year on PC and Xbox.

According to IGN, Leanne Butkovic is an Editorial Project Manager at IGN and also writes about TV, movies, and games.