The theatre stood tall and proud as if it knew it had a great show to offer. The fluorescent purple lights at the entrance would catch your eye from the other side of the street, and that, coupled with the beaming sign of ‘The New Wimbledon Theatre’ really set the mood of what's to come…An Inspector Calls is a classroom classic , a book that has remained on the school curriculum for so long , and has earnt it. This play is rich in messages intended for contemporary readers, but what makes it a classic is these messages are still being dissected today. Along with the eerie atmosphere this book creates , the play had a lot to live up too…
Due to this being a heavily studied book within secondary schools , it was expected to see a plethora of them, and whilst that somewhat added to the experience of a live performance, at times the immature side of these teenagers ruined certain parts of the play , like unnecessary reactions which interrupted the flow of the play, however this somewhat highlighted the professionalism of the actors to be able to adjust and adapt to this.
The play itself was very smartly set up , with the Birling house set in the middle of the stage and throughout the play, despite changes in settings, they smartly utilised the house in the middle to represent different buildings. The actors all spoke with projection, and confidence and the original play was followed almost perfectly with a few added sequences for humorous effect, like a fight between Sheila and Gerald. The directors cleverly represented Priestley's messages throughout the play , especially at the end where we see the Birling household break down and collapse on the stage which symbolises the destruction of the war , and leaves the Birlings, only a few moments ago in their wonderful house, and now crawling through its remains
Overall , for the price , I really recommend this play. It's filled with excitement, great acting, a great buzzing atmosphere and executed with flair.
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