Here is a list of key information you will find inside this Access Pack.
What You Need To Know
Content Advice
Our Space
Cast & Characters List
Visual Story
Thank You
Please note, the following guide contains spoilers for the performance.
Unless stated otherwise, all production photos are taken by Johan Persson
PLEASE NOTE:
This Chilled Performance will be a more informal performance environment.
This means that:
There are no changes to the content of the performance or the auditorium lighting level.
There is a relaxed attitude to noise and movement in the auditorium.
Auditorium doors will remain open to allow free flow in or out of the auditorium. You’re welcome to leave and return at any time.
Our front of house staff will show you where everything is and help if you have any questions
A chill-out space is available for you to use at any time during your visit, ask a member of staff and they can take you there.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts is a gripping murder mystery, based on the characters by Colin Dexter. The story opens with a performance of Hamlet being staged for an audience - a “play within a play.”
When the lead actress suddenly dies on stage, Detective Chief Inspector Morse is drawn into an investigation that leads uncomfortably close to Morse’s own past.
Please note this production contains mature content and scenes that may impact some audience members. Further details are outlined on the next page.
This show is recommended for ages 12+.
The performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes including an interval.
CONTENT ADVICE
Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts is a detective drama, recommended for ages 12+.
Please note that this production contains:
Scenes that audiences may find disturbing
Depictions of blood and violence
Mature themes
Sexual References
Strong language
Themes of death, suicide and bereavement
Drug and alcohol use
Smoking
Haze
Live flames
CONTENT ADVICE
Lighting & Sound
When you see a bell symbol, the scene might contain some loud noises.
Where you see a light symbol, there the scene might contain some strong lighting.
You are invited to bring your ear defenders, dark glasses or anything else that might help you enjoy the show. Speak to our Front of House Staff if you’d like to borrow some ear defenders or dark glasses.
Sensitive Content
When you see an eye symbol, the scene may contain sensitive content, which some audience members may find disturbing.
OUR SPACE
Our new front door is located on Centenary Square, shown here:
Our Box Office (left) and Foyer (right) are shown here:
We have a Chill Out Space available for you to use at any time during your visit. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to use this space.
The Cast
Tom Chambers plays Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a detective. He is very clever and also quite serious.
Tachia Newall plays Sergeant Lewis
Sergeant Lewis is a policeman, who works with Inspector Morse and helps him
Eliza Teale plays Rebecca Downey
Rebecca is an actress who is playing the character Ophelia in Hamlet She is talented and beautiful
Spin Glancy plays Justin Harris
Justin is an actor who is playing the character of Hamlet. He is sensitive and emotional.
James Gladdon plays Freddy Malveno
Freddy is an actor who is playing Laertes. Rebecca used to be his girlfriend, but they are no longer together
The Cast
Robert Mountford plays two different characters. He plays both Lawrence Baxter and Paul Kincaid.
Lawrence Baxter is a theatre director. He is mean and controlling (Remember, he is just acting. Robert is very nice in real life) He went to Oxford University with Morse
Paul Kincaid is a Catholic priest. He went to Oxford University with Morse and Lawrence. He is sometimes called by his title, Monsignor
Charlotte Randle plays Verity Carr.
Verity is an actress who is playing Gertrude in Hamlet. She went to Oxford University with Morse. She does not like Rebecca
Oliva Onyehara plays Harriet Baxter
Harriet is Lawrence’s wife, who he met in America.
Teresa Banham plays Ellen Underwood
Ellen is Morse’s old friend. She is also a historian, who is helping Lawrence with the play She went to Oxford University with Morse, Lawrence, Paul, and Verity
Josh Katembela is Ensemble.
Josh is an ensemble role, which means that he plays several different characters, including a police officer and an actor in Hamlet.
VISUAL STORY ACT 1
The show opens with a performance of Hamlet, as if we are the audience at that show. Justin (who is playing Hamlet) is performing Hamlet’s famous ‘To be or not to be’ speech. Rebecca (who is playing Ophelia) enters with flowers.
There is a noise from the audience, a woman shouts out, and distracts the actors on stage. Suddenly Rebecca stumbles, coughs, and blood spurts from her mouth. She falls to the ground. Justin panics and Freddy and Verity run on stage to help.
VISUAL STORY
A man in the audience stands up, and asks for the house lights to be turned on. The house lights will come on, and it will be bright. (Do not worry, this is part of the show.)
The man is Inspector Morse, a detective. He tells everyone to stay calm and not move. Verity announces that Rebecca’s pulse has stopped - she is dead. Freddy hugs Rebecca and declares his love for her.
Next, music plays loudly with police sirens. The stage is turned into a crime scene, with a white tent. Police tape is stretched across the stage, a forensic team works in white suits, and cameras flash.
VISUAL STORY
Another man shouts out from the audience, and then enters the stage. This is Lawrence Baxter, the theatre director of Hamlet.
He clashes with Morse, and it is revealed that he went to university with Morse, where they performed a production of Hamlet together.
Ellen walks onto the stage. She was watching the show with Morse, before Rebecca died. Morse apologises for forgetting her in the chaos.
It is revealed that she went to university with Morse and Lawrence, and she is helping Lawrence with his new production of Hamlet as a historian.
VISUAL STORY
Sergeant Lewis joins Morse. They believe Rebecca was poisoned, possibly with wine mixed with ground glass. They also learn Rebecca may have been pregnant.
Together, Morse and Lewis question the suspects.
Justin is very upset and panicked in his dressing room. He shakes and whispers that he “killed her.” while Verity tries to calm him.
Freddy smokes outside and admits he once loved Rebecca, but he has avoided her recently.
Verity tells Morse and Lewis about Rebecca’s difficult behaviour backstage.
Lawrence is worried about the play, not Rebecca.
Lastly, Harriet (Lawrence’s wife) arrives. When she hears Rebecca has died, she laughs loudly.
VISUAL STORY
The next morning, the Hamlet cast, along with Inspector Morse and DS Lewis, gather in a church for Rebecca’s funeral.
Offstage, Paul the priest (an old friend of Morse, Ellen, Verity and Lawrence from Oxford University) leads prayers for Rebecca.
They find out that Rebecca is Catholic, and she had visited the Church on Sunday.
VISUAL STORY
Back at the police station, Lewis tells Morse that the forensic reports have come in. They confirm that Rebecca’s cause of death was finely ground glass, swallowed about 30 minutes before she died.
The report also confirms that she was five weeks’ pregnant. It is also revealed that Rebecca bought baby clothes last week, so she was planning to keep the baby.
Morse thinks that Lawrence killed Rebecca because she was pregnant with Lawrence’s child.
Then Morse gets a phonecall from Lawrence’s wife, Harriet, who asks to meet him.
VISUAL STORY
Back at rehearsal, the actors work on the graveyard scene from Hamlet. Lawrence interrupts angrily, criticising their performance and shouting at Justin and Freddy. He is frustrated with the cast and demands changes.
Freddy accuses Lawrence of mistreating Rebecca, while Verity questions the point of rehearsing at all when the production is shut down.
Lawrence says he has already found an understudy for Ophelia and that she could ready to go onstage soon. Verity warns him that Morse will not allow the show to reopen until someone talks.
VISUAL STORY
Harriet Baxter meets Morse in a park, and tells him that she has been receiving anonymous letters over the last few weeks. The letters say that her husband has been cheating on her with Rebecca, and that Rebecca is now pregnant with Lawrence’s child.
She tells Morse that she and Lawrence have been trying to have children, but haven’t been able to. She also describes an argument she had with Lawrence during the interval of Hamlet, where Harriet accused him of cheating, before she left the theatre.
Harriet begs Morse to let her go to her fertility appointment in London, as it’s her last chance to have a baby. Morse allows her to go, but only with a police escort.
VISUAL STORY
Morse and Lewis go to The Crown pub, where they discuss the investigation.
Lewis notices that the letters to Harriet are written on the same typewriter. They also deduct that the first note was written by a different person to the rest of the notes.
Morse still thinks Lawrence is the killer, but he doesn’t want to bring him in until he is sure.
VISUAL STORY
During a rehearsal, Justin hints that Lawrence may be planning to drop cast members from the show, causing panic and suspicion among the actors.
Verity is very upset, so she storms out. Freddy and Ellen prepare to go to a college seminar together, as he is helping her.
VISUAL STORY
Morse visits Ellen at home. They share wine and talk about their past at Oxford. Morse says he might consider returning to academic life, and Ellen offers him guidance.
They then talk about Paul Kincaid and his past relationship with Ellen. Ellen admits that she was romantically involved with Paul but it ended suddenly.
Morse shows her an old photograph from Paul that was taken during the final night of their university production of Hamlet. Ellen reacts strongly, saying it brings back painful memories.
Meanwhile, Lewis phones with news. The woman who shouted out at the theatre might be a lady from Ireland called Grace Friel. There is new evidence: a wine bottle with fingerprints that may link to Lawrence. Morse is pleased, and prepares to leave.
INTERVAL
There will now be an interval.
You can: Leave your seats to use the toilet
Buy some refreshments from the Café Bar
Use our chill out space - ask a member of staff for directions
Use our prayer room
Visit the cloakroom to buy a programme
Stay in your seats if you’d prefer
VISUAL STORY
Justin and Freddy rehearse their sword fight from Hamlet.
Verity, Ellen, and other cast members watch. Freddy complains that Justin makes mistakes, while Ellen tries to reassure them.
Freddy points out that Lawrence isn’t there as he is busy giving fingerprints to the police. The cast wonder what will happen if he is detained. Justin worries about being paid.
The rehearsal ends uncertainly, with everyone uneasy about Lawrence’s future and the show’s fate.
VISUAL STORY
At the police station, Morse and Lewis interview Lawrence. They question him about Rebecca and about his whereabouts during the interval.
Lawrence admits visiting Rebecca briefly but denies killing her. The detectives press him about Rebecca’s pregnancy and whether he could be the father, but Lawrence angrily dismisses the suggestion.
There isn’t enough evidence to arrest Lawrence, and so he is allowed to go.
VISUAL STORY
At The Crown pub, Morse and Lewis try to piece together the events leading to Rebecca’s death.
Lewis says they should go over everything step by step, while Morse is distracted by suspicions about Paul Kincaid and a mysterious college photograph.
They debate the Sunday rehearsal, where Rebecca and Baxter clashed with Justin, Rebecca’s later meeting with Grace Friel, and her attendance at a church mass with Paul Kincaid.
Morse speculates that Grace Friel and Rebecca may be mother and daughter, but admits much is guesswork.
VISUAL STORY
Their conversation is interrupted by Verity Carr, who is drunk. She admits that she has a sexual history with both Lawrence and Paul and admits to sending one anonymous letter to Harriet exposing Lawrence’s affair with Rebecca. She gets very sad and bitter about her past, drinking more.
Then Lewis receives a call from Lawrence. He claims he now knows what happened, and asks Morse and Lewis to join him at the theatre.
VISUAL STORY
Lewis is shocked that Rebecca was the one who sent the rest of the anonymous letters to Mrs Baxter. Morse explains that she sent the letters to force the affair to be made public.
Morse thinks that this proves that it wasn’t suicide, as she was trying to secure a future for herself and her baby.
As they arrive at the theatre, Harriet Baxter suddenly appears, having escaped from her police chaperone. She insists she only fled to distract the police and protect her husband, whom she still loves.
Excitedly, she reveals she is pregnant and begs to tell Lawrence before being arrested. Though sceptical, Morse allows her to go into the theatre with them.
VISUAL STORY
The cast are rehearsing Hamlet when Morse, Lewis, and Harriet arrive, looking for Lawrence Baxter.
Justin grows increasingly irritated by Morse watching him and struggles to continue his lines.
Harriet cannot find her husband, and as the coffin is lifted for the scene, the bearers struggle to carry it as it is so heavy.
To everyone ’ s shock, the lid slips open and Lawrence’s dead body is revealed. Everyone is horrified.
VISUAL STORY
Morse and Lewis examine Lawrence’s murder: he was killed by a single sandbag blow and then placed in the coffin. They debate whether Rebecca’s death was suicide, murder by Lawrence, or the same killer.
Morse pushes to investigate Grace Friel, suspecting she may be Rebecca’s mother.
Away from the detectives, Verity and Justin argue backstage. Verity asks Justin where he was after lunch. She thinks he may have killed Baxter to hide what happened to Rebecca. He says his only crime is buying cocaine.
VISUAL STORY
Lewis explains how Baxter’s body could have been hidden in the coffin during a rehearsal break, suggesting that Verity had motive and opportunity to kill him.
Morse, however, doesn’t think it’s Verity. He turns his attention to Paul Kincaid. He confronts Paul and insists that he attends an official interview.
Just then, Lewis rushes back with shocking news - Freddy has disappeared, taking his things from both his hotel and the theatre.
VISUAL STORY
Morse questions Ellen about Freddy’s alibi for Lawrence’s murder, and she insists he never left their seminar, though Freddy has now fled for a new film role abroad.
Ellen then gives Morse a letter inviting him to apply for a mature student scholarship, which he gratefully accepts.
Later, Morse and Lewis interrogate Paul Kincaid, asking him about the old photograph and his silence on Rebecca’s death. Paul reveals the photographer was Grace Sullivanlikely Grace Friel, Rebecca’s mother. She was there at the university performance of Hamlet.
Morse concludes that Grace must have confessed something terrible to Paul. Paul refuses to break his vows, but hints that Grace is still in Oxford.
VISUAL STORY
Morse goes to Ellen’s house, and asks her to sign a statement that confirms she was with Freddy at the time of Lawrence’s death. She is happy to do so.
Ellen and Morse share a moment, thinking about their relationship and how nothing can happen because of her feelings for Paul.
Lewis phones Morse. On the call, Lewis reports that CCTV shows Grace Friel arriving at the café, but just before she enters, someone else appears and meets her.
Morse asks “Who?”
As the scene ends, Morse is stood staring at Ellen. It was Ellen who met Grace at the café.
VISUAL STORY
Morse and Lewis review the night’s events.
They’ve confirmed that Grace Friel was Rebecca’s mother, though Rebecca was known to her family as Bernadette. She left home when she was a teenager.
Lewis says that Paul didn’t kill Lawrence, so the murderer must be either Grace or Ellen.
Morse says that he will talk to Ellen. Lewis says that the Superintendent wants someone else to take over the case, and re-open the theatre. Morse ignores him, and heads off to talk to Ellen.
VISUAL STORY
Released by the Superintendent, Paul Kincaid offers Morse his help to get Ellen to talk.
She tells Morse that Grace Friel came back to Oxford after she saw a photo in a magazine of Lawrence and her daughter (Rebecca). Ellen says that when Grace arrived at the theatre, she realised that Rebecca had slept with Lawrence and was pregnant with his daughter.
She reveals that Grace was horrified, because Rebecca is actually Lawrence’s daughter. Lawrence had slept with Grace at university, during the final night of their show.
VISUAL STORY
Meanwhile, Lewis is at the theatre with Justin and Verity, as they act out the scene from Hamlet where Rebecca died.
Verity admits to Lewis that she was the one who strangled Rebecca, during the show, as she was angry with her.
Lewis asks why Verity is wearing a different costume to Rebecca. Verity says that Rebecca ditched the scarf and gloves before she came on stage. Lewis is puzzled.
As they continue the scene, Verity puts on Rebecca’s glove, and screams, revealing that her hand is covered in blood. Justin starts to babble, saying that Rebecca must have took the broken glass from his room. It was his glass. He had used it to threaten her, but had never tried to kill her.
VISUAL STORY
Paul and Ellen continue to tell Morse what happened. At university, Lawrence had told Paul that it was Ellen he slept with (when really it was Grace) just to amuse himself.
This caused Paul to break up with Ellen and join the priesthood, breaking her heart.
Morse tells Ellen that she wasn’t the only woman that Paul had slept with that summer, and forces Paul to tell her the truth.
Ellen tearfully reveals that she was the one who had killed Lawrence. She blamed him for what had happened to Grace, Rebecca, and also for her losing Paul.
VISUAL STORY
The play ends with Morse and Lewis back at The Old Crown pub. They discuss the end of the case.
Lewis remarks that Rebecca’s death was suicide. Morse believes that Rebecca also tried to frame Lawrence for murder by leaving only his fingerprints on the wine bottle.
Morse explains that when Rebecca discovered she was Lawrence’s daughter and pregnant with his child, she decided to take her own life, and also ruin Lawrence’s life in the process.
Morse and Lewis consider the events of the last few days, and the lives Morse and his university classmates led. Lewis reassures Morse that there is nothing wrong with being a policeman, even if Morse feels uncertain. As Lewis leaves, Morse quietly admits he is right.
