An Inspector Calls

David Ross chose to follow the thoughts of the playwright (quote 1957) in playing this work in the round and away from the picture frame stage, and certainly this close-up on the action had an impact not normally experienced by an audience: we were there sitting at the table with the Birling family and the feelings were intense and the atmosphere electric.
 The experiences of Priestly during the First and Second World Wars influenced this work written in 1944 and the Prologue (written especially and with quotes from the author) brought home the words ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. Set in 1912 with what will follow, the irony of these words cannot be forgotten, and certainly the slant of this production was particularly strong in view of these thoughts and why the Players staged it for the 1914 Centenary.
 The scene a dining table in the midst of the venue and the cast enter and sit or move around; we are at the ‘port stage’ of the meal to celebrate an engagement. And how well cast the characters and the relationships worked and balanced. Gerry Robins as Arthur Birling was self-satisfied (ex-mayor), pompous, overbearing, and dominating the family. His wife Sybil (Lesley Dillon) was exactly what would be expected of her in her position as his wife, and secure on the charity committee. Louise Stevens as daughter Sheila was a joy to watch in all her moods and understandings of the situations, an extremely intense interpretation of the role, very strong when often this part does not strike one as special. The fiancé Gerald (Neil Ellson) worked well in the relationship with her and in developing the ‘family link’ with his prospective father-in-law. And as the dissolute and drinking young man Eric Birling, with a complete lack of responsibility, Paul Reynolds rose to character status in style. And I loved the way the audience was prompted to watch the different aspects with a guiding interest from Edna the maid, a clever role and difficult to sustain throughout the evening by Val Newell. This was a cast that worked so well as a team, the pace was good and not a single prompt in this wordy piece.
And then enter Inspector Goole with a superb characterisation and masterly delivery of great determination and with intensity and certainly unforgiving, Ian Cashmore was outstanding in the role. The victims of his story and his analysis unravelled under his words and strong glances, the feelings were raw and exposed and eventually penitent; certainly sitting so close to the actors we were feeling the breathing and feelings and total reaction to each situation that overcame those involved with events that led to the death of the girl, and indeed the ‘no man is an island’ quote from the prologue.
This was a very strong piece of theatre, and to bring home the future beyond 1912, the final singing in epilogue by the Inspector of ‘Where have all the flowers gone’ just completed the atmosphere; both prologue and epilogue played on the stage against a striking silhouette of soldiers. And at the final curtain, the silence which greeted the cast before the massive applause said it all, we were totally engrossed and absorbed by this production.

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