Last night I saw Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts in Oxford and it was brilliant. I’d recommend going to see it but in case people can’t, here are my highlights, spoilers ahead obviously:
Tom Chambers was amazing as Morse, he had all the familiar mannerisms of Morse and he was just over all great, though it was strange seeing someone step into the role beyond John Thaw and Shaun Evans.
The Morse theme started playing after the murder during a production of Hamlet and Morse locking down the theatre to investigate, and I IMMEDIATELY locked in to the play. We were in the TV universe and I was in detective mode myself and I was ready to take mental notes on how it fit into the timeline and who killed this actress.
The link to the past were events in 1962 involving a production of Hamlet Morse was in (in a small role) during his time at college in Oxford, several of the people involved with that production were involved with the production of Hamlet that ended in apparent murder in 1987, meaning THIS WHOLE PLAY CAN FIT WITH THE TV TIMELINE WITH NO WRINKLES (at a squeeze).
Morse and Lewis were ON POINT. Literally all of my favourite moments came from just watching those two.
My favourite exchange in the whole play was this because it just sums up what I love about Morse and Lewis dynamic:
*Morse handing Lewis a group photo of the Hamlet production from his years at Lonsdale and asking what he makes of it*
Lewis: …..and you, looking like Rick Astley.
….RIP Morse, you would have hated the Rickroll.
Actually I loved all the little nods like this to modern technology and pop culture and also linking it what Morse and Lewis are like around it in the tv show, they had Lewis’ adeptness at computers and excitement at them and Morse’s reluctance to step into ‘modern’ technology.
Actually on that note as well absolutely loved how Morse and Lewis called out the fact that you’d think in 1987 people would be more accepting of homosexuality (they weren’t) when discussing a theatre director’s issue with the actor for Hamlet being gay. Loved that inclusion because that’s Lewis and Morse both confirming they don’t give a crap if someone’s gay (Lewis confirms this in Life Born of Fire but like it’s nice to see more of the opinions of Morse on that topic).
Interval time: it was interesting because I asked my dad (who I went with) who he thought has committed the murder and he said it was probably the historian and I said well she definitely has to have done something like that, Morse is trying to romance her, she’s either going to be killed or be the killer. (Spoiler: We got it half right)
Poor Lewis got cockblocked from his romantic, no kids involved, night in with Val by Morse and work and it was hilarious but also poor Lewis can’t catch a break 😂
Morse telling one of the actors in the unfortunate Hamlet production off for breaking their sobriety with alcohol when she’s completely plastered really hurt because obviously it’s years of alcohol consumption that ultimately triggers Morse’s death.
If I had a nickel for a father accidentally sleeping with his daughter in the Morseverse I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
Okay there was a whole side plot about Morse wanting to leave the police and pick up his degree (again, if I had a nickel…) that kind of went nowhere but it did make the one line that serves as the emotional gut punch at the end of the play:
‘Well so am I, what’s wrong with being a policeman sir?’
‘Nothing, nothing at all Lewis’
I need all versions of the Morse theme played in that stage show on Spotify now, I NEED to listen to these variants because they were AWESOME.
So yeah those are my highlights of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts. It’s really fun for a Morse fan and this might be the best show I’ve seen off west end.
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