Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts at the Festival Theatre***

Any actor playing Inspector Morse has an impossible job to do. No-one can fill the shoes of John Thaw, who played the Oxford-based policeman between 1987 and 2000, nor can any playwright replicate the writings of his creator, Colin Dexter.

All these years later, as the familiar theme music was played for this new stage play by Alma Cullen, my eyes filled with tears of nostalgia as I remembered Thaw’s portrayal of the gruff inspector who was awkward around women.

Fast forward 26 years and Tom Chambers has the ‘impossible job’ of recreating Morse. There are many occasions when he gets Thaw’s mannerisms and temperament just right, barking at Sgt Lewis and making unsuccessful attempts to woe historian Ellen being just a couple. But he isn’t the Morse we know and love.

The plot revolves around Rebecca, an actress who collapses and dies on stage while playing Ophelia in a production of Hamlet. Was she murdered? Did she commit suicide? That’s for Morse and Lewis, and we the audience, to discover as every member of the company is scrutinised. There are others in the mix too, all of whom were at Oxford University with Morse 25 years previously. And it’s their memories of that time and the tension between them that provide the ghosts of the title and the twists in the tale.

Cullen’s story is entertaining enough – anything set in a theatre gets a thumbs up from me anyway, and Colin Richmond’s simple staging sets the scene perfectly – and there are some strong performances from Charlotte Randle as an alcoholic actress and Jason Done, not only as the leather trousered, volatile director but also the quiet contained priest.

Half way through the second act, however, the production began to unravel, the scenes seemed rushed as if the actors were worried they wouldn’t finish on time, and it became a little confusing, so much so that I lost concentration for a moment and ended up not knowing who caused Rebecca’s death!

Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts is at the Festival Theatre until Mar 7.

www.capitaltheatres.com

The tour then continues:

Mar 10-14: Guildford Yvonne Arnaud

Mar 17-21: Milton Keynes Theatre

Mar 24-28: His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen

Mar 31-Apr 4: Glasgow Theatre Royal

Apr 7-11: The Lowry Salford

Apr 14-18: Salisbury Playhouse