AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Alexandra Palace Theatre

★★★★

“a magnificent spectacle of a classic play that continues to engage”

J B Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ continues its over 30 year run on tour this year, and I was lucky enough to see it played at Alexandra Palace. Like most people, I first read (and adored) the play at 15 for my GCSEs, however, I never got a chance to see it until now. I’m glad to say my high expectations were not disappointed.

It’s 1912 and the upper class Birling family are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft over dinner. Yet, their celebrations halt when Inspector Goole pays them a visit, and informs them of the death of a local lower class woman. Through his investigation of the family, they become shaken by their involvement in the woman’s life and their clear contributions to her death.

The play is none traditional in its portrayal of the text. The family’s introduction is framed from an outsider’s perspective – due to the fantastic design of Ian MacNeil. A house where the Birling’s is hoisted above the stage, which appears as a destroyed and blackened street. The opening scene is played within the house, while others watch them on the street. An interesting portrayal of the hierarchical society in which we live. I was a little apprehensive at this point, however, due to the overuse of haze on stage that practically blocked all sightlines, while it was also quite hard to hear the actors’ dialogue. Mics are used, but I fear they were too quiet against the echoey space. I think the opening scene is key in introducing the characters, setting up the context and foreshadowing the events of the play, so I would have liked the scene to be visible, rather than wholly playing inside the rather small house. Instead, the set opens up when the Inspector is introduced to the family and – to my relief – the majority of the action takes place downstage.

The cast, with polished direction from Stephen Daldry, shine in their individual roles, with Tim Treloar portraying a highly energetic and unapologetic Inspector Goole. Jeffrey Harmer also stands out as Mr Birling, bringing a lovely sense of youth and charm to a role one would often only see as a boring and business focused villain. The stand out performance for me, however, was Leona Allen as Sheila – a strong portrayal of a woman who is still so childlike in her behaviour, desperately yearning to be heard.

The costumes are traditional to the era of the play – the men wear trim suits perfect for a dinner party. Sheila of course wears an all white gown, perhaps signifying her future marriage or perhaps her innocence. It gets dirtied in the rain, however, once she begins to discover the consequences of her past actions – so I would say the latter. Mrs Birling wears a very glamorous deep red and black gown and is well decorated in pearls and other accessories. Such vampish glamour would appear similar to the ‘evil queen’ characters of many fairytale depictions.

Overall, the show is a magnificent spectacle of a classic play that continues to engage audiences. It’s important to note, that every other review I’ve seen – which date back many years – all state the play is ‘more relevant now than ever’. With the gap between the rich and poor arguably being the same now as it was in the time the play is set, that is especially true in this revival. In the 30+ years this iteration of the show has been performed, it appears the class divide has only gotten worse. One hopes a day will come when the play is not as pertinent as it is today.