An upper class family oblivious to fact that the world around them is falling to ruin, a family laughing around a dinner table without a care in the world; that is until he arrives. A detective. A dead girl and secrets to be explored.
There’s a reason that An Inspector calls by J B Priestley has been wildly used in educational studies throughout the years and that’s simply because it fantastic. It’s a play that keeps us on our toes as it unravels itself with every character, providing us with twists and turns but also striving in the end to leave us with important moral lessons. The lessons of this tale clearly being ‘our own actions have consequences’ and that ‘we should take responsibility for how we treat others because we never know what could be going on in their lives’.
The way this production has been put together by director Stephen Daldry and set designer Ian Macneil, is nothing short of an academic’s dream. Our curtains open to a dark lamp lit street, dishevelled by the blitz, with children running around and playing in the rubble. Above them stands a pristine 3 story house elevated away from the horrors of the outside and filled with the sound of happiness and celebration at the engagement of Gerald (Simon Cotton) and Sheila (Chloe Orrock). We immediately see not only a class divide but the safety the family feel tucked away within their wealth. As the play continues and the Inspector (Liam Brennan) takes over, the characters are lured away from that safety and onto the streets below to face reality. Another cleaver thing to note is that Edna (Frances Campbell) the maid, never once enters the house establishing her divide in class from the family.
The cast of this production is superb, with our Birling family being perfectly unlikable. Jeffrey Harmer plays a fast paced, egotistical Arthur, a man clearly in charge of his household and driven by money and image: his wife Sybil (Christine Kavanagh) being clearly of the same volition. Kavanagh plays to role with the perfect amount of stubbornness and power, being one of the few characters to challenge the inspector rather than yield to her own past mistakes.
Simon Cotton takes on the role of Gerald with power and charisma and Orrock shows brilliantly Shelia’s personal growth throughout the performance taking the character from a selfish and irritating young woman to an emotional yet powerful wreck who seeks to change for the better. One cannot also forget George Rowlands who with the least stage time of the bunch still makes a lasting impression as Eric Birling, an erratic young man trapped within his own family.
Professor Goole himself however had to be a personal favourite. In the past Goole has been interpreted as a rather ghostly presence, taking over like a stern judge and then disappearing, especially in the 1954 movie. Brennan however plays the role extremely likeable, he is no mysterious presence, and is arguably the most real and relatable of the characters we meet. He is confident strong, manipulative but also funny and to an extent understanding. We see his kinder side as he tends to a young child on the street throughout the performance.
Overall, this is a play not to be missed if you like a bit of mystery, family drama and of course art as the set itself really is a sight to behold. My only criticism would be the size of the house itself as it is rather on the smaller side, so we miss some important reactions from the characters, that being said it is still visually a treat.
An inspector Calls plays at the Festival Theatre until Saturday 4th February 2023. https://www.capitaltheatres.com/whats-on/all-shows/an-inspector-calls/58
Reviewer: Beth Eltringham
Reviewed: 31st January 2023
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★