House of Ghosts - An Inspector Morse Mystery

Synopsis

Since Oxford undergraduate days Morse has regarded theatre director Laurence Baxter as the only truly evil man he has ever met. So what happens when, twenty-odd years later, Morse finds Baxter at the centre of a murder case that involves the on-stage death of a young actress?

Our Review:

14 September 2010

Calibre Productions return to Oxford with another of their successful TV to stage adaptations, after Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo and Porridge. This time, a move from comedy into murder mystery, with Inspector Morse.

In this specifically created piece, penned by Alma Cullen (who wrote four of the TV episodes of Morse), we are transported from a theatre, to a theatre. Possibly even this very theatre; the play is set in Oxford, after all.

The premise is simple; a young actress playing Ophelia (Rachel Logan) in a touring production of Hamlet dies on stage, the next 2hrs 30mins is taken up with the traditional twists and turns of any good murder mystery, led by the able Colin Baker as Morse.

Notable performances come in from David Acton, who gives us the traditional...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Tony Buchanan - 4 October 2010:

I've just seen 'House of Ghosts' at The Belgrade Coventry and my initial linguistic reaction to the play came in two words – drab and dismal. In the play’s defence the acting is professional enough, at least for the most part, and TV Morse-John Thaw and all-was always going to be a hard act to follow. The problem with this production is one of content and setting-we don’t get very much of it. What is presented on stage chiefly consists of Colin Baker's booming caricature and a long series of statements given by characters to Sgt Lewis, who scribbles into a notebook. Sergeant Lewis by the way has mysteriously lost his Geordie accent and has acquired one set chiefly in RADA around 2005 with spatterings of Wiltshire. The set is extremely dull-like the backdrop to a deserted Methodist nave. As for dear old Colin Baker’s performance, it was nothing short of thunderous. It reminded me of an eccentric headmaster at a minor public school but hardly the stuff of Morse. One final mention of note, the over-acting from one particular actress at the final dramatic scene is hilarious, like something from The Comic Strip Presents in 1985! In conclusion, this production team would do well to review recent tours of ‘An Inspector Calls or ‘And Then There Were None’. At least those productions managed to create a unique little world in which we could all enter for two hours. At the end, far too many people were including the word ‘poor’ in their summary as they shuffled their way toward the exit! Needs a re-write and a much better set!...

Read more and add your own review