Stephen Daldry’s celebrated revival of J B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls has been a mainstay of British theatre for over three decades. Once seen as a radical reimagining of a mid-century classic, it now carries the weight – and the status – of a modern classic itself. But, as this latest tour proves, Daldry’s production remains startlingly fresh, theatrically daring and chillingly relevant.
Set in 1912 but written in 1945, An Inspector Calls follows the well-to-do Birling family as they celebrate an engagement in their grand Edwardian home. Their evening is interrupted by the arrival of Inspector Goole, who brings news of a young woman’s suicide. As the Inspector questions each family member in turn, he reveals their individual connections to the deceased – and exposes the moral failures lurking beneath their respectable façades. What begins as a polite interrogation becomes an indictment of generational privilege, personal responsibility and the fragility of moral certainty.
Ian MacNeil’s set makes an immediate impact, turning the stage into a haunting tableau of broken grandeur. The Birling family’s opulent home teeters precariously like a doll’s house on stilts, absurdly elevated above the gritty, rain-slicked remnants of a bombed-out street. The message is clear: here is a family raised above the muck and misery of everyday life, oblivious to the ruin around them. It’s a set that manages to be symbolic, satirical and deeply unsettling all at once. When the house opens up – literally cracking apart under the pressure of truth – the visual metaphor becomes overwhelming. This is design that speaks louder than dialogue.
Rick Fisher’s lighting design adds another layer of psychological depth. The use of shadow and silhouette not only deepens the play’s noir-ish aesthetic, but adds to the sense that this is a world haunted by consequence and guilt. The sound design is equally bold, with crashes of thunder and deep reverberations accompanying key revelations. The production doesn’t just depict tension – it detonates it.
Within this theatrical pressure cooker, the strong cast remain rooted in emotional truth. As Sheila Birling, Leona Allen delivers a truly exceptional performance. What begins as a sketch of girlish frivolity deepens into a nuanced and affecting portrait of moral awakening. Allen captures every stage of Sheila’s transformation – from indignation to shame, from confusion to conviction. Allen doesn’t just show us a transformation – she makes it visceral, urgent and utterly believable.
Traditionally portrayed as weak and awkward, George Rowlands takes a bolder approach to Eric Birling, playing him with a flouncy, almost vapid entitlement that initially renders him harmless, even forgettable. It’s a clever choice that makes his descent into guilt and self-loathing all the more impactful. As the cracks begin to show, Rowlands peels back the layers to reveal an eruption of messy vulnerability – his confession scene is one of the rawest, most emotionally truthful moments in the production. In a play full of reckonings, his is the most nuanced and human.
Jeffrey Harmer brings bullish bluster to Arthur Birling, playing him as a caricature of capitalist hubris – full of confidence, empty of insight. Jackie Morrison’s Sybil Birling is chilling in her control, gliding across the stage with a serene cruelty that barely masks her contempt for the less fortunate. Tom Chapman brings just the right amount of charm and duplicity to Gerald Croft, carefully toeing the line between sympathy and self-preservation.
Tim Treloar delivers an unconventional edge to Inspector Goole. Rather than the aloof, spectral figure audiences might expect, his Inspector is confrontational, even theatrical, moving between sardonic wit and bursts of righteous anger. More agitator than detective, he stalks the stage like a man possessed by justice itself. Treloar’s performance strips away any lingering doubt about the Inspector’s role: he’s not just solving a mystery; he’s delivering a moral reckoning on behalf of a society teetering on collapse.
Daldry’s production is unafraid of bold theatricality. The melodrama is deliberate – Priestley’s message isn’t whispered, it’s shouted. That can come at the cost of subtlety, and some of the text’s quieter ironies get lost beneath the thunder. But the trade-off is an immediacy that grips even the most cynical audience member.
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In an age where inequality deepens and accountability feels increasingly rare, An Inspector Calls lands not as a historical artefact, but as a direct address. Daldry’s production doesn’t just revive the play, it makes it impossible to ignore.
An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
Director: Stephen Daldry
Associate Director: Charlotte Peters
Designer: Ian MacNeil
Lighting Designer: Rick Fisher
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Sound: Sebastian Frost
Cast: Tim Treloar, Jeffrey Harmer, Jackie Morrison, Leona Allen, George Rowlands, Tom Chapman, Alice Darling
An Inspector Calls will be performed at The Alexandra until 10 May 2025 before touring nationally.
