Powerful classic 'An Inspector Calls' stunned some of the Liverpool Empire audience into silence last night - but not everybody.
Written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, the iconic production has been studied in schools for years - so much so, even I remember learning about it during English. The play is one of J B Priestley’s most renowned and performed, and is set in the household of a prosperous northern manufacturer Arthur Birling (Jeffrey Harmer).
Set in 1912, the family are celebrating the engagement of daughter Shelia (Chloe Orrock) and Gerald Croft (Simon Cotton), when a stranger known as Inspector Goole (Liam Brennan) shows up at their door. Inspector Goole is there to question the family about the death of a young working-class woman, who has killed herself by drinking disinfectant.
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Throughout this insanely powerful and gripping performance, it comes to light that every single member of the family, including Sybil Birling (Christine Kavanagh) and younger son Eric Birling (George Rowlands) are all linked to the woman's death.
A number of clever contributions including ominous music and dramatic lighting is what makes this performance one to remember - whether you know the plot or not. The clever set focuses on the Birling family dining room, infusing the popular concept of 'meta theatre' throughout the production.
We as the audience are constantly reminded throughout the play that we are watching a performance. Like at the very beginning, when a young boy wearing the inspector's hat fiddles with the red curtain trying to make his way into the performance - and remains there for a good chunk of it.
Although, throughout some parts of the production I found it hard to fully absorb the atmosphere because of some members of the audience. Big groups of school children had come to watch the performance, and at some moments, certain reactions made me feel uncomfortable in my chair.
It even got to the point where Liam Brennan (Inspector Hoole) had to shush the audience before a powerful monologue during a pivotal part of the play. Some of the audience members were whooping, laughing and clapping at pretty serious moments during the play, which made me feel awkward to say the least.
Despite this, Liam Brennan had an absolutely unbelievable stage presence, with such a powerful stance and abrupt pronunciation of every single line. On stage with a minimalistic costume consisting of a suit and a hat, Liam Brennan seemed to captivate the audience (at least most of the audience, anyway).
For a play that was first written in 1945, An Inspector Calls still has powerful messages throughout that still stand today. Writer J.B Priestley wanted to build a better, more caring society after the end of the war, touching on gender and class issues, and he did just that throughout this impeccable production.
Despite finding myself cringing in my seat at some of the audience's reactions to serious moments in the play, the show wasn’t ruined for me. I could easily watch this over and over again and find myself captivated.
Even the subtle stage presence of Edna (Francis Campbell), who is the Birling’s maid may seem insignificant, but she is a huge reminder of issues and class. It's no doubt that Inspector Calls is still renowned and studied today, as its a clever and mesmerising performance that I'd highly recommend.
The show runs for 1 hour and fifty minutes with no interval. Tickets are now sold out.
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