REVIEW - An Inspector Calls is a fabulous production and critical viewing for anyone studying the text

On Tuesday, we were invited to Lowry in Salford to see An Inspector Calls. Read what our reviewer Christa Norton thought about this excellent production...

As someone with two teenage sons – one who has just completed his GCSEs and one who is just starting them – An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley is no stranger to our house. Indeed its subject matter of social inequality and injustice, its hint of the supernatural, its themes of accountability and redemption led to many a debate as the boys grappled with the text. But I had never seen the play on stage, so it was too good an opportunity to miss seeing it last night at Lowry.

Salford is just the latest stop in this nationwide tour of Stephen Daldry’s (Billy Elliot the Musical, The Inheritance, Stranger Things: First Shadow) award-winning production from the National Theatre. Like me, many parents had chosen to take children no doubt to support their studies, and the audience was packed with more teenagers than I would normally expect to see at a play – especially one with such challenging themes.

And we were well rewarded – this is a phenomenal production of An Inspector Calls that combines superb acting with inventive, symbolic staging in this popular cautionary tale.

Set in 1912, An Inspector Calls takes place in the dining room of the wealthy, socially up and coming Birling family, where they are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft, the son of a rival industrialist. The evening is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious figure, Inspector Goole, who informs them of the suicide of a young working-class woman, Eva Smith. Through the inspector’s questioning, it is revealed that each member of the family, and Gerald, played a role in Eva’s tragic demise.

As the Inspector forces each character to confront their actions, he emphasizes the interconnectedness of society and their collective responsibility for Eva’s suffering. In response, the family fall on each other, masks falling and familial bonds well and truly breaking in the viciousness of their attacks.

After the Inspector departs, the family begins to revive, and quickly doubt his authenticity. A phone call to the local police station reveals that no such inspector exists, and the case appears fabricated – an elaborate hoax. All too quickly do they celebrate and laugh and cheer, Eva’s plight forgotten by all but Sheila and Eric. But it is short lived: a phone call announces that a young woman has indeed died under similar circumstances, and a real inspector is on the way, leaving the family - and the audience - to grapple with the inescapable weight of their actions and the moral implications of their behaviour.

This production boasts an amazing ensemble cast that work together incredibly effectively. Leading them is Tim Treloar (Maleficent, Wolf, A Touch of Frost, Call the Midwife), taking on the role of the eponymous and mysterious Inspector Goole. For a role that demands much anger and conviction, Treloar exudes a kindliness and gentleness that is a stark contrast to the rest of the characters on the stage. He works hard to engage the audience, half acting as narrator in order to make his case, to encourage our judgement, but all without breaking the spell of what is happening on stage. It’s a brilliant, authoritative performance.

Jeffrey Harmer (Diana: Her True Story, The Runaway, EastEnders) is a glorious Arthur Birling, full of swagger and pomposity, and so very pleased with himself. His arrogance as he admits dismissing Eva from his factory for demanding better wages, his pride in his business acumen at prioritising his personal profit over her welfare, truly embody the archetypal ‘Fat Cat’ of the City – yet Harmer doesn’t fall into the trap of caricature: he is all too realistic.

Opposite Harmer, Jackie Morrison (Black Earth Rising, Endeavour, Londongrad, Romantic Getaway) plays a viciously superior Sybil Birling.  Her presence on stage is mesmeric – she preens and self congratulates with the merest glance, a silent malevolence that at the same time is petty and small minded. It’s a brilliant performance and I very much enjoyed the sparring between her and the Inspector – they were both at their wittiest and their angriest.  

Pena Iiyambo’s (Anansi Boys, Doctors, Spitting Image Live) Sheila - Birling’s daughter – is, for me, the focal point of the play. Her journey from Marie Antoinette-style ignorance to self-awareness, remorse and redemption is a relief against the excesses of the other characters. I loved Iiyambo’s performance – this is no clueless debutante, she is lively, determined, intelligent and unafraid to have her eyes opened.

She and Tom Chapman’s (The Devil’s Hour, Alice & Jack, The Estate, A Gallop Though History) Gerald make a splendid couple on stage – flirty, feisty, and certainly romantic during their brief reconciliation. Chapman’s Gerald is witty, foppish and funny, certainly the most likeable character on the stage, and his failure to redeem himself at the end, to change in the way Sheila and Eric do, is a real tragedy.

Completing the cast is Michael Gukas (Cost of Living, This is You, Your Inheritance) playing Sheila’s brother Eric Birling. Gukas gives an impassioned performance, balancing a role that carries both the most responsibility for Eva’s death and perhaps the most naivety. His anguish and sense of loss certainly feel the most poignant – especially in contrast with Gerald.

This production of An Inspector Calls is renowned for its striking and symbolic staging and I was not disappointed. It features a dollhouse-like structure representing the Birling family’s home, perched precariously on stilts, visually emphasising their isolation, privilege and – most importantly – the fragility of their position. The house opens and closes during the performance, revealing the characters within and their secrets to the outside world.

Surrounding the house is a bleak, cobbled street populated by figures from the working class, drawing the clear disparity between the Birlings’ insulated, comfortable lives and the struggles of those they exploit. Yet these figures also watch and judge the Birlings and their actions – and with them the audience too.

Lighting and shadow also play a crucial role in creating tension and symbolism. For me, one of the simplest yet most effective moments occurs at the beginning of the play, as Inspector Goole approaches and his shadow falls over the Birling family’s house, its towering silhouette pre-empting their impending downfall.

Music is used to greater and lesser extent throughout the production. It is played through speakers rather than having live musicians, which feels like a missed opportunity. I must admit I found myself a little frustrated with the score; the music itself is exciting and feels very of the period, yet rather than enhancing what is happening on stage, I felt it is almost telling you what to think. A character would make a comment and there would be a loud, dissonant crash of music to tell you ‘what they have said is wrong’. In what is already a highly strung and emotive play, too often the music tipped the experience into melodrama. The acting on stage is simply too good to need such obvious prompts for the audience.

That said, it is a very minor grumble in what is a fabulous production and critical viewing for any young adults currently studying the text. But there is no doubt this is a play with a moral story that still resonates today, not just in terms of social injustice but in terms of the collective responsibility of society. Whilst its themes certainly make it unsuitable for younger children, this production of An Inspector Calls offers much food for thought and I highly recommend it.  

WE SCORE AN INSPECTOR CALLS...

An Inspector Calls is on at Lowry, Salford until Saturday 18th January 2025.

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