The thing with a classic play such as An Inspector Calls is that it has been performed so often, over so many years that it’s hard to keep it fresh and relevant.
There’s no danger of this though with director Stephen Daldry’s multi-award-winning National Theatre production of the iconic JB Priestley thriller.
Written in 1945 but set at the end of the Edwardian era in 1912, the story centres on the death of a young, working-class woman and the ensuing investigations into an upper-class family, led by Inspector Goole, who arrives unexpectedly at their home one foggy, rainy night.
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It soon becomes clear that the five family members are each, in their own way, guilty of contributing to the woman taking her own life after she was sacked from two jobs, had two tumultuous love affairs and was rejected by a charity committee as an unwed mother-to-be.
An Inspector Calls at The Lowry Theatre in Salford -Credit:Photo by Mark Douet
Tim Treloar’s inspector is pugnacious and decidedly, and uncharacteristically, emotional about the young woman’s suicide. Arthur Birling (Jeffrey Harmer), his wife and their future son-in-law are suitably snobbish and unendearing – Arthur, with his loud laugh, the smug Sybil (Jackie Morrison) and Tom Chapman’s arrogant Gerald.
Eric, played by George Rowlands, is more of a feckless drunk than a figure of hate and Sheila, his sister (Leona Allen) is the least objectionable of the bunch. They are still, however, far from being without fault.
The scenery is gorgeously gothic, the warmth and wealth of the house belonging in this to those born with silver spoons in their mouths accentuated by the grey fog and rain outside. Clever lighting and special effects make the setting even more evocative.
An Inspector Calls at The Lowry Theatre in Salford -Credit:Photo by Mark Douet
Unity of action, time and place is used to great effect – the one setting – the dining room, the unchanging scenery illustrating time continuity, and the lack of breaks in the performance adding to the intensity.
The key moral point of the play is personal accountability and fulfilling one’s duty to society. This point is emphasised throughout and underlined still further after a couple of phone calls where the existence of both the inspector – a ghoul rather than a ‘Goole’ perhaps, and the woman are called into question.
Class is of course another huge issue. It is no accident that the play was set in the year the Titanic – the ship where three tiers of social classes were all at sea together, yet separated, sank.
An Inspector Calls at The Lowry Theatre in Salford -Credit:Photo by Mark Douet
You only have to look at how Mrs Birling treats Edna (Alice Darling) the family’s maid, to see the upper class disregard for the ‘lower’ working class.
You would think the privileged family would learn their lesson after being confronted with their less than honourable actions by the metaphorical inspector.
But as soon as they are given reason to doubt he really exists, they revert to type – laughing, joking and refusing to acknowledge any misdeeds at all, but not without Priestley, through the inspector, issuing a dire warning and an eerie foreshadowing of WW1:
“And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.”
An Inspector Calls at The Lowry Theatre in Salford -Credit:Photo by Mark Douet
The evils of capitalism, the need for socialism and the importance of learning from our mistakes are all conveyed expertly through highly energetic and convincing acting.
It’s a play designed to make you think and to self-examine, while at the same time being highly entertaining.
The message is as relevant today as ever and whether you’re a first-timer or have seen the play several times before, you won’t be disappointed.