J.B. Priestley’s 20th-century masterpiece An Inspector Calls has been brought back to the stage and is as poignant as it always has been. A social commentary on class and labour divisions in the early 1900s, the Inspector Goole of its title informs the upper-class Birling family of a young working-class woman’s suicide, and their shared implication in the event. The play took me right back to my GCSE English Literature lessons, and it seemed the number of school groups in attendance at Cardiff’s New Theatre felt the same.
The hauntingly interrogative figure of the Inspector enters the stage from the audience, immediately cementing the metatheatrical nature of this production. Throughout the performance, the Inspector commands the lights, music and staging as well as the minds of the Birling family, even breaking the fourth wall at some points.
This production’s version of the Inspector is rather witty: a slightly different but welcome change to the stoic, intimidating Goole in Priestley’s original play. One of my personal favourite aspects of this touring production is how the essence of the 1945 text is still at the core of the performance, but Priestley’s complex characters have been given more depth and personality without taking away from the core message and intentions of the play – the character of Sheila Birling, in particular, is hilarious in this production.
At the climax of the play, the set of the Birling residence physically sparks and falls apart – a stunningly beautiful allegory for the fall of the family’s relationships and social standing. The scenery, staging and musical score all perfectly enhanced the increasing tension throughout the play, and this cast should certainly be commended for their refreshingly human portrayals of every character. This production reminded me why I fell in love with theatre in the first place; I have no doubt the remainder of this An Inspector Calls tour after its Cardiff stop will be successful.
An Inspector Calls, New Theatre, Cardiff Tue 18 Oct
On until Sat 22 Oct. Tickets: £16-£36.50. Info: here
words RHIANNON FARR