An explosive production of the dramatic classic.
By Thom Glow
JB Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ is one of literature’s iconic thrillers. The book, and indeed the play, follow the revelations of a well-off family living in the fictional industrial town of Brumley in 1912.
By dark of night a mysterious gentleman turns up at the family home, and since this was long before GPS we can assume he was not invited round on Grindr by their fey son Eric. The mystery man claims to be a police inspector investigating the death of a young woman who, for want of better phrases was consistently fucked over by the system and just plain fucked by several uncaring men.
While I can certainly relate to this element of her circumstances, her drama was exacerbated by the loss of two jobs, the denial of essential healthcare services and a baby on the way. Up the duff and at the end of her tether, the poor young woman guzzles a bottle of disinfectant and the inspector has come to find out why! Well, we find out why alright! As the tense tale unfolds, it becomes apparent that the wealthy Burling family, complete with blustering father, imperious mother and typically spoiled younglings, have had an unknowing hand in the demise of the poor young girl.
A study of the way the fortunate well-off treat those with less power and support, Priestley’s political story is as resonant today as ever, and one cannot help but bristle uncomfortably as home truths are delivered one after one by the inspector to the inadvertently cruel Burlings.
This new production is directed by Stephen Daldry, one of my favourite directors. I’m always excited to see what he brings to the stage, and was particularly keen to see this revival since it was Daldry’s famous 1992 production, which really made a name for him as an eminent director of thoughtful and political theatre. He directed my all-time favourite movie The Hours, starring three of my all-time favourite actresses Kidman, Moore and Streep. I saw his West End production of ‘The Audience’ starring Kristin Scott Thomas last year and ‘Billy Elliot’ the year before. There’s no doubting he’s an amazing talent and having just directed the show of the moment, Netflix’s ‘The Crown,’ he is enjoying some man-of-the-moment hype.
In this production the set literally blows open the walls of the upper-middle class Burlings’ home and exposes the poisons and prejudices within. Some of the effects feel heavy-handed – the house the Burlings live in literally quakes and smokes as the drama builds to a point, and there are moments in the narrative which feel protracted and over-worthy. Nevertheless the feeling that you are watching a classic well rendered remains and the production can be forgiven a little indulgence.
Speaking of indulgence, a few years ago Daldry came to see my live music show as Vanity von Glow when I used to perform at the Green Carnation (may she rest in peace). I got the impression that the magic of my cabaret was somewhat lost on Mr. Daldry. This was when my show was called ‘Poppers at the Piano’ so he can be excused for thinking he’d stumbled into a low class affair especially when a crazed Scottish drag queen tried to waft the fumes of isopropyl nitrite up his snout. I suppose his declining a whiff of friendly fumes can be forgiven on the grounds of being a theatrical genius. That genius is firmly on show here in a play which, despite slightly over-explaining some of the points a modern audience can grapple without assistance, builds up sinister tension throughout and ultimately packs quite a punch.
Special praise goes to Barbara Marten who plays the Birling matriarch, channelling the imperious authority of Katharine Hepburn in ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ and also to Liam Brennan as the Inspector himself – a performance which goes from cool anger to full on outrage during the course of the play.
There is a lot to be said for this story, a shade darker than Agatha Christie and with more political bite. Audiences looking for something which is both classic and relevant to sink their teeth into will enjoy. Ten points for Hufflepuff!
An Inspector Calls is at The Playhouse Theatre until February 2017. Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5DE. For more info and tickets, head to playhousetheatrelondon.com