Before we take our seats and join the titular Inspector for his case, let’s list the facts we know so far. JB Priestley’s play was written in 1945 and in an unlikely twist, first performed in Moscow and Leningrad the same year. Director Stephen Daldry, whose film and TV credits include the likes of Billy Elliot and The Crown, revived the production in 1992, and his version is now the longest running revival of a play in history. It’s won 19 major awards and been seen by more than five million theatregoers across the globe. The text is also on the GCSE syllabus.

Notebook aside, that last detail explains the prevalence of youngsters in a sold-out Belgrade as well as an insight into An Inspector Calls’ longevity. But beyond the fact that kids study it for an English exam, the play continues to appeal to new generations because despite being nearly 80 years old, this parable of social responsibility – which focuses on specific individuals but extends to society in general – is as relevant as ever. Daldry’s version adds an extra layer to the allure because its staging, more reminiscent of the Blitz (an air raid siren goes off at the start, and we soon know there’s more than one war going on) than its 1912 setting, is utterly magnificent, but we’ll get to that later.

First the story. A dinner party at the home of the wealthy Birling family is interrupted by the arrival of the enigmatic Inspector Goole (played by a magnificently assertive Liam Brennan), conducting investigations into the suicide of a working-class young local woman. At first the various family members deny knowing her, but it soon becomes apparent that they’ve all had an impact on her life and contributed to her despair and ultimate demise.

The revelations shake the foundations of their privileged lives – reflected by Daldry’s dynamic staging in a house that is also far from secure – and not only demonstrate how removed these characters are from the real world, but also how ignorant they (and by extension we) are of the consequences of their actions. Indeed, the fact that we can understand most of their actions – and thus need to confront our own prejudices – is what makes the play so fascinating.

Initially regarded as traditional drawing-room theatre, Priestley’s thriller is ratcheted up a few notches with Daldry at the helm, the ingenious doll’s house set effectively a character, illustrator and metaphor all in one, demonstrating not only the Birlings’ entitled isolation but also the brittle nature of their household, especially when family secrets are exposed and the house itself starts to collapse.

But as much as the set design, lighting and staging are all spectacular, they’re matched by a uniformly excellent cast, with especially strong performances from Brennan, who narrates much of the piece with more than a whiff of affront, and Jeffrey Harmer as obstinate family patriarch Arthur Birling. Chloe Orrock also earns genuine empathy for daughter Sheila Birling during her journey from entitled socialite to guilt-ridden accomplice, not least because her character’s eye-opening largely mirrors our own – a message hammered home when she briefly joins the audience on our side of the curtain.

The combination of excellent performances and thrilling presentation make for genuinely gripping theatre, and with strike action, austerity and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis still at the forefront of our collective agenda, the play’s message of community and compassion for our fellow man can hardly be more pertinent or poignant.

5 stars

Reviewed by Steve Adams at the Belgrade Theatre, Wednesday 1 March 2023. An Inspector Calls continues at the theatre until 4 March.