Brightman voices ‘lovecraftian’ renovation game – a chaotic, musical genesis
Alex Brightman, the Broadway sensation known for his unsettlingly charming portrayal of Beetlejuice, is lending his voice to There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, a genre-bending game promising a truly bizarre experience. The announcement, coinciding with a top prize at Tribeca, signals a decidedly unconventional approach to game development.
A soundtrack forged in discord
Developed by the bootstrapped British studio Friday Sundae, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a sonic and visual collision of Lovecraftian horror and musical theatre. The game’s lead character, Chris, will be brought to life by Brightman, a choice that feels less like a calculated marketing move and more like a delightfully reckless stroke of intuition.
“We wanted someone who could be sinister, but also funny and sincere, but also shady and a little bit of a liar,” explained Anil Glendinning, Friday Sundae’s co-founder and managing director. “By pure chance, we came across a clip of Beetlejuice on Broadway, and just on the off chance I thought, THAT guy would be really funny in the game.” The entire process, Glendinning emphasized, has been fueled by a remarkably fluid, almost improvisational, methodology – a deliberate rejection of the auteur model in favor of a collective, musically-driven creation. “We’re big believers in providence,” he added with a weary smile.
This scrappy ethos extends to the game's entire cast. Friday Sundae prioritizes musicians and singers, adapting the characters to the performers’ existing styles. Leitmotifs aren’t conceived in sterile studios; they organically emerge from the actors’ musical backgrounds. It's a fascinating, almost anarchic, system – a deliberate shedding of traditional control.
“It actually comes from the style of music they naturally perform,” Glendinning elaborated. “We would alter characters based on the actors and musicians we were working with. There’s a lot of different influences that come into making this unique collaborative blend we created, rather than coming from the auteur perspective where there’s a singular genesis and a unified vision. It’s very much a collective effort with a small group of artists, musicians, developers, and writers to put something together, and I think that’s why it feels so eclectic.”
The team treated the project “like a band,” Glendinning revealed. Scripts were delivered to voice actors in the studio, encouraging improvisation. “If you want to use that then use that, that’s just me being me,” Brightman reportedly quipped. “We were like, ‘You just be you.’” A surprising caveat: they’re strategically omitting any instances of profanity, aiming for a teen rating. This isn’t about sanitizing the experience; it’s about capturing the raw energy of the performers.
There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is currently available as a demo on Steam and is slated for release later this year on PC and Xbox. The game’s success at Tribeca – a victory earned from just 30 minutes of gameplay – suggests a growing appetite for this particular brand of unsettling, musically-infused weirdness. Leanne Butkovic, Editorial Project Manager at IGN, witnessed the team's fervent dedication firsthand. And frankly, given Friday Sundae’s commitment to this unorthodox approach, the results are undeniably compelling.
The fact that they built this from almost nothing, prioritizing collaborative spirit over rigid control, is remarkable. It’s a testament to the power of embracing chaos – and, perhaps, a little bit of luck. This isn't just a game; it's a sonic experiment, a theatrical fever dream, and a potent reminder that the most unexpected collaborations often yield the most unforgettable results.”