An Inspector Calls [Review]

An Inspector Calls [Review]
The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, 10th March 2012

It has been ten years since I last encountered JB Priestley’s famous play, studying it in secondary school and also seeing the Alistair Sim film, so when the opportunity arose to see it in my home town and home, of course, of JB Priestley, then it would be foolish to miss it.

Touring from the West End, Stephen “Billy Elliot” Daldry’s 1992 production was nothing short of amazing. Opening up with at atmospheric and, frankly haunting, scene from World War 2, complete with air ride siren, an old fashioned radio and the best water, smoke and rain effects I’ve ever seen on stage that perfectly captured the incoming storm of the play, ‘An Inspector Calls’ tells the story of the rich Birling family who are, one by one, revealed to have played a part in the downfall of a young girl through their actions or inactions, with the titular Inspector Goole playing the part of the investigator and the audience the judge and jury.

Lasting one hour and three quarters with no interval, it’s difficult to fault the package of the production. The set was marvellous, featuring a large model of the house which, as the play progressed, opened and collapsed and set on fire and returned to its upright position as the fortunes of the family went up and down, an excellent metaphor and an amazing piece of construction, especially considering it’s live on stage, with no fear placed on smashing objects and items in the pursuit of the metaphor and some clever use of props such as having a cane doubling up as a hand rail.

But it wasn’t just the set design and weather effects that were incredible. The talent on stage was just as complimentary. Tom Mannion as Inspector Goole dominated the stage whenever he was there, his Scottish accent working well with his lines, arriving on stage through the crowd and onto it like the scene from the Exorcist, a technique used several times with the action not always limited to up on the stage. His towering shadow on the house at the start was foreboding and his presence throughout the production, with his entourage of spooky figures, emphasised the horror throughout this interpretation, with the opening world war two skit, the weather effects and use of music, making this a very chilling adaptation. Though initially more abrasive than I remember Goole being, Mannion suited the role perfectly and was an ideal casting choice.

Geoff Leesley as Mr Birling was equally as good and portrayed the relentless industrialist with aplomb and Henry Gilbert as his son Eric put across his immaturity and addiction well alongside his eventual enlightenment. Kelly Hotten as daughter Sheila was also great as the glue that kept the cast together and was convincing in her portrayal, as was Karen Archer as the matriarch of the family, being a vital ingredient for some of the humour in the play that gave it shades of light in its darker times. John Sackville as Gerald Croft was equally well cast and Janie Booth, as Edna, worked well as the background actor adding extra touches throughout the two hours.

Having only experienced this play in the form of a book and movie I was intrigued to see it play out in its ideal form and was not disappointed by this production. The sense of horror and foreboding throughout the play was palpable and at times chilling and upsetting. The conveyance of the ups and downs of the Birling family through the stability of their house was an excellent metaphor and one well brought to the stage with a versatile and beautifully realised set that put across the decadence of their lifestyle but also the destruction of the upcoming world wars, complimented by the music.

If there are any niggles from the production it would be the occasional part where it seemed they were struggling to remember lines during a handful of moments and a few times where the limits of set became apparent such as lots of action on the sides of the stage which made some parts difficult to see when we were at the end of the row, but these are minor complaints for an adaptation that balanced the political and social messages of the play with the injections of humour and a cast, set and effects that all complimented each other to create a very engaging and visceral adaptation of JB Priestley’s play, with the limitations of live theatre and the stage dismissed to make it both a spectacle for the crowd and involving them in the analysis of how our actions affect other people.

9/10