Apparitions come to Aspen in ‘Ghost Tour’

Looking to experience a ghost tour from the comfort of a seat? “Ghost Tour” might be just the ticket, promising a unique theatrical experience combining scares with humor and heart.

New York theater actor Adam Kantor stars in this captivating one-person play, which was written by Gordon Greenberg and directed by Stephen Brackett. It will be presented as part of the Theatre Aspen’s Solo Flights Festival, with performances at 7 p.m., Sept. 2, and 4 p.m., Sept. 7, at the Hurst Theatre. 

“When I first read about this project, I was instantly interested. Everything about it appealed to me — I just loved it,” Kantor said, who has been a fan of the playwright who wrote it for many years.

The play, set in a spooky version of Orlando, Florida, is centered around a cynical, out-of-work actor who returns to his hometown to lead a ghost tour, only to find himself haunted by his own past.

As reality mixes with the supernatural, hilarity ensues, culminating in the tour becoming an emotional quest, mixing themes of love, loss, queerness, and the phantoms that live within us.

Versatile performer Kantor is known for his impressive range and charisma. He made his mark in his portrayal of Mark Cohen in “Rent” during its final run at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre in 2008, which was filmed live. He was also a member of the Tony Award-winning cast of “The Band’s Visit.” The upcoming show in Aspen will be his debut solo show.

“This is my first time doing a solo play, and I’m both excited and scared,” he said. “The fact that Stephen Brackett is directing is also a huge factor for me. I’ve been a big fan of his for years.”

Kantor has admired both him and Greenberg for a long time. A few months ago, when Greenberg casually asked Kantor if he would do a table read of the play at Ars Nova (an off-Broadway, nonprofit theater) in New York, Kantor eagerly agreed.

“We did, and I was just blown away by the piece. It goes so deep — it’s funny but also unexpectedly raw and psychological for a pseudo-ghost story. I was completely taken by it,” he said.

The writer also mentioned to Kantor that there might be an opportunity to perform the piece in Aspen. A couple of weeks later, Kantor got an email saying, “We’re doing it. Let’s go!”

Kantor shared that he’s learning to go with the flow in this performance, as there’s only so much he can control on the stage and in life. 

“This solo play is coming at the right moment in my evolution as an artist,” he said. 

The parallels between his personal growth and his character’s journey are not lost on him.

“There are these broken pipes in the theater where he’s giving this ghost tour, and stuff is going wrong left and right, and he just moves on and rolls with it. I’m viewing this as an opportunity to roll with things, just as the character does in the play,” he said.

As a performer with Shakespearean training and soliloquy work, Kantor noted he also uses the audience a lot.

“In this case, even though it’s a solo play, the character is very much in communication with the audience, and I plan to be as well,” he said. “I want to use the audience’s presence in fertile, tactile ways.”

The play blends humor with confronting the character’s “skeletons in the closet.”

“I love theater that zooms into a character’s inner life. I felt that way about ‘The Band’s Visit,’ and I feel that way about this piece,” he said. “It’s a deep dive into something very specific but also universally human.”

Kantor hopes the audience will laugh hard and connect with the play’s emotional impact, and then feel a bit of catharsis.

“I hope they really enjoy themselves — the play is so funny. I hope they see a piece of themselves in it and feel encouraged to work through their own issues,” he said.

The actor has other projects ahead of him. He co-founded a company called Story Course with Benj Pasek (writer of “Dear Evan Hansen” and “La La Land”), which offers a multi-course narrative dining adventure. The next one will premiere in New York City this fall.

Kantor is also looking forward to hiking some trails during his first summer visit to Aspen.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places in the country,” he said. The setting adds an element that makes being in Solo Flights “thrilling on all levels.”

As for attending “Ghost Tour,” he concluded, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — it’s better than ‘Cats’!”

Tickets for Solo Flights range from $35 to $50, with the exception of the matinee performances, which have a “pay what you can” option, with a $10 minimum for standard seats. These seats are only available to purchase in-person and are not available to purchase over the phone or online. For tickets, go to  theatreaspen.org/solo-flights-2025.