Since 1992 Stephen Daldry’s epic production of JB Priestley’s classic play has been showing somewhere – whether touring abroad, in the west End or on tour in Britain. The last UK tour was in 2005, but this year it is on the road again and continuing to prove its status as one of the great theatrical pieces of its generation.

The conceit of the play is simple, simple enough in fact to be off-putting to Daldry when he was first approached to direct it. An Inspector Calls had been a rep theatre stalwart, a classic thriller dealing with the exposed consciences of the wealthy Birling family and their possible part in the death of a young girl. The play seemed dated and out of fashion and appeared to offer nothing to a young director. And yet the success he created of the piece is undeniable, even if there are moments in the text that still feel a bit clunky, at times even a little ridiculous. But these remnants of an older theatrical style are no cause for distraction in what is still a magnificent show. The 2009 cast are all superb, the staging is just as successful as when it was first conceived and the gradual unfolding of the plot, which allows your mind to run ahead and see what is going to happen before sometimes confirming your thoughts and at others proving you very wrong, still manages to engage from the first to the very last.

It is a testament to both Daldry’s imagination, as well as the production team on each show that An Inspector Calls can still manage to genuinely thrill audiences; all to often the grand spectacle of theatre is lost these days in favour of tighter dialogue and more believable, recognisable scenarios. And yet here is a piece which explores timeless social and moral questions as well as examining the very nature of greed in all of us, which still manages to provide a truly theatrical night out. What it lacks in subtlety in more than makes up for in fantastic stage design and effects, to say nothing of fun and wit.

There is no doubting why this show has been the recipient of so many major awards, and why its popularity and ability to fill houses wherever it goes remains unaffected, and this years incarnation of it carries the baton superbly.

Reviewed at the Norwich Theatre Royal.

Words > Henry Layte