Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts
- leejamesscriven
- Mar 18
- 2 min read
Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts arrived at MK Theatre and provided an enjoyable and engaging murder mystery.
For fans of the original Inspector Morse TV series, this new outing, written for the stage by Alma Cullen, is a welcome arrival.
It’s been nigh on 25 years since the final episode of the iconic ITV series (1987–2000) starring John Thaw as Detective Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis.
Alma Cullen’s take on the great Colin Dexter’s grumpy detective forces Morse to confront
the highs and the lows of his Oxford student days.
With Tom Chambers leading as Morse and the excellent supporting cast the play allows fans to experience a fresh take on Morse, with everything you would expect from a classic whodunnit.
However, if you are seeking a live replication of Thaw’s original Morse persona you will be disappointed, House of Ghosts, is not a tribute show to the iconic duo of Lewis and Morse.
To be fair, much of the spirit of the TV series endures. Barrington Pheloung’s haunting Morse Code theme tune opens proceedings and the stage is set, quite literally: it is 1987 and a production of Hamlet is in full flow when the actress playing Ophelia dies suddenly on stage.
It is up to Morse to examine the play-within-a-play's cast, Chambers approaches the legendary role with his own style but there is tangible respect for Thaw’s original interpretation.
An interesting mystery then unfolds over two acts with many twists and turns as Detective Chief Inspector Morse embarks on a gripping investigation and a surprising conclusion.
I really liked the stage set and set changes: Very simple, very good and very Edinburgh Fringe if you get my drift and the stage lights helped create the correct ambience for each scene.
All in all, Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts is a befitting tribute to the legendary TV show and if you like traditional theatrical mysteries of murder, you should catch this production.
MK Theatre – 17/21 March –
Comments