Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts – Liverpool Playhouse

Twists, turns, murder and mystery sound like your kind of evening? If so, join the dynamic cast of characters in Inspector Morse at the Liverpool Playhouse from 13th to 17th January 2026.

The staging is set, the lights are low and you are plunged into an intriguingly immersive scene. A murder!

Who killed sweet or troubled Rebecca? (Eliza Teale)

Our main man, the likeable and quirky Inspector Morse (Tom Chambers) takes to the stage, accompanied by his more stable and rule following partner Lewis (Tachia Newall). Both dive into a shady past of wealth of characters from calm and composed Ellen (Teresa Banham), the wild and rough Freddy (James Gladdon), unstable and erratic Justin (Spin Glancy) and the messy and divaesc Verity (Charlotte Randle).

Special mentions to Josh Katembela who portrayed the obnoxious and unempathetic Lawrence and then took on the diverse character change of Paul, the reverend with a rather shady past. Harriet (Olivia Onyehara), Lawrence’s rather grating but strangely magnetic wife is also thrown into the mix of characters. Now, it’s up to you the audience to try to work out the connections between them all and solve the mystery.

Morse is an exciting production which is based and stays true to the original characters created by Colin Dexter. Written by Alma Cullen and directed by Anthony Banks, their whole production takes you on a journey through serious more fragile moments, sarcasm, laughter and wonder.

With excellently timed sound effects which enhance not only the action on stage but also makes the audience feel more immersed within some scenes (operated by Angus Wu and designed by Beth Duke) and a clever mixture of lighting (operated by Paul Coxon and design by Lizzie Powell) to portray action and outside influences, both of which compliment the staging well. Morse is a very auditory and visual piece.

Set and costumes (Colin Richmond) were suited well individually to each character, showing their inner styles and personalities. Also, helping the audience ascertain where each character was in a scene whether playing themselves, or a character within a character on the staging of Hamlet.

The staging and set was very detailed, visually beautiful at times when combined with the lighting in scenes such as the church and the theatre. The props and set was multifunctional, clear and enhanced the space and storyline well.

Morse is an evening which will get you thinking with an ending you won’t see coming. The amount of twists and turns makes for good misdirection and red herrings throughout. At times, it can be a little confusing to keep track of such a multitude of characters and their back stories. But, overall, everything is tied up neatly in the end.

Playing until 17th January 2026, https://everymanplayhouse.com/

Reviewer: Steph Wiswall

Reviewed: 13th January 2026

North West End UK Rating: