The 30th anniversary of the UK and Ireland Tour of Stephen Daldry’s production of Inspector Calls was beyond fantastic and shows why the classic thriller by JB Priestly is taught at schools across the country. Right from the start the audience at the Nottingham Theatre Royal was transported back to a stormy night in 1912, with rain falling on the cobbled streets of the stage where orphans played.
The audience followed as a wealthy family were taken through the years leading up to the death of the notorious Eva Smith. It was revealed throughout the spine chilling thriller that each family member played a role in the girl's tragic death. By the end of the play when they have a chance to make things right, a divide between the family is clear as the younger generation learns their lesson whilst their elders are too stuck in their ways.
The entire cast did an amazing job, especially the ensemble members of the cast who were eerie reminders of how much people were treated at the time. Liam Brennan played a spectacularly sinister Inspector Goole, especially when he appeared in the audience, and Chloe Orrock almost stole the show with her perfect portrayal of Sheila Birling.
Jeffrey Harmer and Christine Kavanagh were a fantastic Mr and Mrs Birling, very much the embodiment of the characters created by Priestly, meanwhile Simon Cotton, best known perhaps for his role as Hugh Bryant on Emmerdale, made a dashing Gerald Croft.
The set was designed differently to how I expected, with the audience very much looking into the house from the streets, rather than from within the Birling’s home. So much thought had been put into the production, the costumes were designed beautifully and slowly became more and more distressed throughout the performance in line with the characters attitudes.
It was also shockingly brilliant when the house ‘exploded’, which was something nobody expected. Sticking closely to the wording of Priestley’s play, this performance of Inspector Calls clearly demonstrated the divide in society between the upper and working class.
With the current cost of living crisis there is no better time to be reminded of the many themes and words of wisdom expressed in the play, as despite being set 100 years ago, Inspector Calls continues to be relevant. It is definitely a play worth seeing, especially for any students who are studying the play.
Why not sign up to one of our newsletters by clicking here to keep up with all the latest news from across Nottinghamshire.
Read Next:
