The touring production of ‘An Inspector Calls,’ Stephen Daldry’s award winning adaptation of the play by J.B Priestley, visited the New Wimbledon Theatre between the 9th and 17th September. 

 

On the 15th September, a Thursday evening, the theatre was crammed with GCSE students, excitable and fidgety and eager to watch a performance of the text so many teenagers have the opportunity to study during their GCSE English Literature course.

 

The didactic play, set in 1912, tells the story of an exploitative family forced to come to terms with their wrongdoing, upon hearing about the suicide of a young woman, involved in some form, in all of their lives. Priestley’s inspiring message of social responsibility is deeply relevant today and poigant in the apathetic world of the 21st Century.

 

Daldry’s adaptation is captivating, intense and chilling. Mr Birling (Jeffrey Harmer) and the Inspector (Liam Brennan) face off in heated confrontations throughout the performance, Mrs Birling’s (Christine Kavanagh’s) hypocrisy is startlingly unveiled as she loses all her composure in a wave of shock. The play is scattered with echoing hints of the upcoming troubles in the 20th century, things absent from the original text: war radios, ominous children, bomb noises, all intensifying Priestley’s grave warnings of the consequences of selfishness.

 

However, at points the play devolved into melodrama, perhaps catering to the youthful audience. Physical fighting sprang from nowhere and humour, barely present in the the original text, took centre stage.

 

Despite this, the majority of the play was faithful to Priestley’s 1945 text. Aanika Patel, a year 11 pupil who saw the play on the 15th September said, ‘After studying the play for so long in class seeing it translate to the stage was entertaining, fun and suprising. My favourite part was when the house collapsed towards the end. It really shocked me.’

 

This production of An Inspector Calls has been seen by five million people since 1992, the longest running revival of a play in history. It is expected to continue touring for the forseeable future.