London’s contemporary stage continues to welcome bold interpretations of traditional folklore. The Bush Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush has confirmed the full cast for the world premiere of The Hungry Ghost, an upcoming production described as a sexy horror romantic comedy.
Written by British and Malaysian-Chinese playwright Mei Leng Yew, the play will feature Olivier Award nominee Mei Mac and Hong Kong actor Isabella Wei, who recently gained wide attention as Posy Li in the fourth season of Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Scheduled to run from 1 to 31 October 2026 in the Bush Theatre Studio, the two-hander investigates the friction between personal independence, parental warnings, and supernatural consequences.
Cross-Cultural Superstition Meets Modern Romance
The plot follows a young woman moving into a new home with her secret girlfriend, ignoring her mother’s warnings about the arrival of the seventh lunar month. Desperate to start their life together, she takes an orange from her family’s religious altar and pockets a discarded street coin on her journey over.
That casual disregard for ritual invites a hungry ghost into the couple’s domestic space. As the spiritual entity begins seizing physical control of her body, her web of deception begins to fracture under the pressure of supernatural possession.
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“I feel like a newborn out in the world for the first time. I feel… ravenous,” the ghost declares within the production’s opening text.
Directed by New Earth Theatre Artistic Director Ailin Conant, the staging pairs physical horror with dark humour. The creative team includes designer Yimei Zhao, lighting designer Cheng Keng, sound designer Carla Ng, and dramaturg Pippa Hill.
Isabella Wei by WARD IVAN RAFIK/CR. COURTESY OF NETFLIX
An Acclaimed Central Duo
Mei Mac steps into the lead role of The Girl following major stage recognition across Britain. She earned an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in the Royal Shakespeare Company and Barbican stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro. Her extensive credits include Dracula at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Bridge Theatre, and television roles in the BBC dramas Blue Lights and Call the Midwife.
Opposite her, Isabella Wei portrays the titular Ghost. Alongside her breakout turn in Bridgerton, the twenty-two-year-old actor appeared in Netflix’s mystery series 1899, the thriller Black Doves opposite Keira Knightley, and the 2024 film The Crow.
Wei will also appear as the lead in director Mina Shum’s upcoming feature Whatcha Want, starring alongside Ming-Na Wen, which heads to the Toronto International Film Festival.
Playwright Mei Leng Yew delivers her professional debut with the staging, following recognition on the shortlist for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Playwriting for her play Down Side Up.
Performances will run Monday through Saturday evenings, with additional matinees scheduled for Wednesdays and Saturdays.
See here for tickets
