An Inspector Calls was first performed in 1945 and the story is still being shared 70 years later at the London Playhouse. It is set in 1912 and tells the story of a rich family who are celebrating the engagement of their beloved daughter Sheila, well that is until they get a visit from Inspector Goole who carries grave news.

The play itself is incredibly clever as it is written is such a way as to captivate the audience and hold tension throughout. Most importantly it gets the audience to question their own mind set and conscience making them wonder about how they would react if the Inspector ever came knocking on their door.

It is common knowledge that traditionally there is no scene change in the play, the audience only ever see the Birling families dining room, in addition to this the play is mainly driven by speech and character revelations. This of course makes it a challenging play to perform because it can be hard to entice the audience, however I believe that the audience were entertained throughout and that the entire stage was used effectively in the performance.

It’s no wonder that the play won a Critic’s Circle Award for best design because the stage was truly astounding. Not only did it look beautiful but the design was incredibly clever and it was used creatively in every act. That being said, I did find some aspects of the play somewhat disappointing. There seemed to be a few too many genuinely awkward moments of silence where the actors would begin to slip out of character. As well as this I believe the delivery of some lines did not do Priestley’s intention justice. I have read the play several times and some crucial lines were not given the importance that they hold and simply blended in with the rest of the show.  I thought Gerald and Mrs Birling delivered their lines especially well and were the most accurate in articulating Priestley’s’ tone. That being said I think all the actors did an impressive job of threading humour in the play which helped boost the atmosphere.

I did however speak to many people who enjoyed the play, one claiming it was ‘the best interpretation’ they had seen, but there were others who shared my thoughts.

A student who has been studying the play at school said ‘I enjoyed in thoroughly, it was a really immersive play. It stayed true to the script and the set was cleverly created. A great way to reflect on how modern society treats its individuals.’

Overall I believe there was a balance between good and bad aspects of the play and that if you are studying the play at school it may help to watch a performance.

By Jasmine Helm-Stovell

Rosebery