Stephen Daldry’s production of An Inspector Calls has won almost 20 awards and is back for another UK tour in 2025. The latest pit stop was at New Wimbledon Theatre where an expectant crowd and several GCSE students were here on the opening night at SW19. J.B. Priestley's play about social community, generational differences, and the soulless nature of capitalism still resonates.

The immediate sense of “us and them” is set up in the opening exchanges when the enclosed world of the Birling family is viewed from the outside. The grand house is on stilts rather than sure ground, a structure and road map that is all too symbolic later on in the piece. The driving rain, constant smog and brooding atmosphere outside show that here is a family removed from harsher day to day reality. Except that they aren't cushioned from what is to come.

Inspector Goole Kills the Mood with Shocking News

We, the audience, are apart from it too, hearing the exchanges outside the windows. The little boy or urchin on the street is a product from the class-ridden society as Inspector Goole who soon breaks the mood with shocking news.

There has been a death of a young woman called Eva Smith. Head of the household, Arthur, is dismissive of the subject even when he realises she was a former employee. A good worker, he says, but he scoffed at her when she asked for a pay rise. From there, her journey is downwards while the Birlings only think about upward mobility and how to impress.

The Inspector is played with an avuncular but acerbic Welsh twist by Tim Treolar. He breaks the business party mood as the head of the household, Arthur, is celebrating the union of corporations with his son-in-law to be, Gerald Croft.

Mrs Birling Can't or Won't See the Truth

There’s a grim ambience to the subsequent unravelling of reputations and social standing as the Inspector picks his way through the guilt of each family member from young to old. The most compelling scenes are when young Eric, the immature runt of the family in some ways, comes face to face with his mother, Sybil about how she unwittingly turned her back on a grandchild of the wrong sort.

Mrs Birling’s social mores and blindness to her own family’s failings are one of the key narratives. Living in denial by following an uncharitable code to the destitute shows what’s important to the heads of the family. The children take responsibility while their elders are still happy to return to their old ways when they find out that Goole wasn’t actually a member of the local police.

Leona Allen’s depiction of Sheila establishes the growth and movement of the next generation to see others as equals in pain. She starts the piece with loose and flimsy airs and graces, but then grows up as the detail of how she contributed to Eva’s death hits hard.

There’s no interval in the production, which is about an hour and three-quarters. That might be understandable as the production relies on linking the chain of events to each individual without a brake on proceedings. Practically, it may be more comfortable for some in the audience to benefit from half-time.

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An Inspector Calls: New Wimbledon Theatre Review