J B Priestly's play from 1945 must be on the GCSE or A-Level curriculum again. The audience was packed with teenagers squeezed together with a scattering of seniors on their special priced matinee tickets. Stephen Daldry's revival of 1992 is on tour again. We saw it in 1993 on the stage of the huge Olivier Theatre and twenty six years later it has lost none of it's impact. The differences in class and social upheaval Priestly described in 1912 are as relevant today.
Not only is the set highly impressive, but the sound and music greatly add to the atmosphere. The cast are fine if not of the top order. Jeffrey Harmer is very good as the odious head of the family Arthur Birling as are Chloe Orrock as daughter Sheila and Christine Kavanagh as his wife Sybil. I was less impressed with Liam Brennan in the pivotal role of Inspector Goole. He lacked the subtle intimidation that releases the confessions of the family, resorting to occasional unrealistic shouting to make a point. However, it is Stephen Daldry's imaginative staging of the original play that is the star of the show.
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