SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 29, 2016 (Gephardt Daily)– The stage lights come up on the well appointed dining room of an upper-middle class, 1912 family.
The bourgeoisie Birlings are celebrating their daughter’s engagement to a man a few rungs up on the social ladder, and royal honors that may be bestowed on the status-conscious head of the house.
As the city’s desperate poor labor in factories or on the streets, battling disease or starvation, the future looks bright in the aspiring-to-be-lavish home of the Birling family.
Then there’s a knock at the door.
So begins “An Inspector Calls,” playwright J.B. Priestley’s drama, now in production at Pioneer Memorial Theatre.
And before the final bows, the Pioneer Theatre Company audiences will be treated to social commentary, mystery, elements of a thriller, touches of comedy, and a final twist or two to provide an some lively debate on the ride home.
The production’s set, by Jason Simms, emerges as the first star. By placing a cold, stark factory set atop the golden rooms of the Birlings, and lighting just one at a time, viewers can experience the contrasts in the industrial town English of Brumley, and the close proximity of the comfortable “haves” live to the wretched “have nots.”
Costumes by Carol Wells-Day add to the contrast: embroidered finery and tuxedos for the Birlings, rags or aprons-covered work dresses for the poor.
Broadway actors Joseph Dellger and Mia Dillion, as status conscious parents Arthur and Sybil Birling, both bring a sense of oblivious entitlement to their roles. Younger son Eric (John Evans Reese) is both resentful of and dependent on his folks.
Radiant and unknowingly vacuous daughter Sheila (Katie Wieland) and her pleasant enough beau (John Skelley) round out the younger set.
But stealing the show is the title character, inspector Goole (Christopher Kelley), whose arrival and no nonsense investigation shakes everyone else to the core, making them face possible the moral, judicial and social consequences of their thoughtless actions.
Although the play is set more than a century ago, the issues of class, status and consequences are still relevant. The actors all seem to meld with their characters, the only real clue they are acting that their English accents once or twice seem to wander the British Isles.
The final plot twist may confound some, but should not diminish the enjoyment of the clever plot and writing or the spot-on acting.
“And Inspector Calls” plays at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, through March 5 at Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City.
Tickets are $25 to $44 in advance, and $5 more when purchased at the door. To buy tickets, visit www.pioneertheatre.org, call 801-581-6961, or visit the theater during business hours.
