The 1992 National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls (1945) has been touring almost continuously for thirty years. But never before has it been staged in the Alexandra Palace Theatre, which was opened back up to the public in 2018, after the theatre had fallen into disrepair for many years. Refurbished but maintained in the style of ‘arrested decay’, the newly-opened theatre’s aesthetic is a marriage made in heaven with this production, in which the pre-war English society of 1912 is reckoned with the post-war criticism of 1945.

The only snag is that the Alexandra Palace Theatre was designed with a recessed proscenium arch, when the production is designed for a ‘traditional’ West End style theatre. And so, determined to mount the show here anyway, the production team (led by designer Ian MacNeil) have created a vast false wall and front-facing proscenium arch, specifically for this venue. It is so incredibly bespoke and well-designed that you would never guess it’s part of the set, until you see the theatre’s actual, deliberately exposed, recessed proscenium arch, slap bang in the middle of the set. It’s an unbelievably apt metaphor for the curtain that divides the old and the new; the rich and poor: and though we may tug at the curtain, only the inspector (Tim Treloar) will let us pass through.

Essentially a domestic six-hander, the play relies heavily on the strength of its cast. As the domineering, remorseless Mrs Birling, Jackie Morrison steals the show. Spoilt, wayward son Eric Birling (George Rowlands) and furtive fiancé Gerald Croft (Tom Chapman) are also excellently well-drawn — Rowlands has been playing the role for two years. As Inspector Goole, newcomer Tim Treloar brings a Welsh whine, and an occasionally unhinged, jester-like quality to the character which is uniquely chilling.

The theatre is infamously cavernous, and unfortunately the lines by “hard-headed businessman” Mr Birling (Jeffrey Harmer) are mumbled and basically incomprehensible — a shame considering Harmer has played the role for six years. As Sheila Birling, Leona Allen’s squeaky, “Betty Boop” voice becomes a little grating by the end.

Touring across the UK, 30 August 2024 – 31 May 2025.