Review: Pioneer Theatre Company's AN INSPECTOR CALLS is Astonishing

Director Mary B. Robinson, who helmed Pioneer Theatre Company's extraordinary OF MICE AND MEN in 2012, has done it again with her astonishing production of AN INSPECTOR CALLS.

While considered a classic drama in the UK, AN INSPECTOR CALLS, by J.B. Priestley, is not nearly as well known here in the US. This is a shame, as the play is tightly written and incredibly interesting. Whenever the audience begins to worry it might be let down by the predictability of the storyline, more is revealed. The plot and themes also provide much food for thought and fodder for discussion.

Set in spring 1912 in northern England, the Birling family is celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila when an inspector arrives. He insists on interrogating each member of the family about the recent suicide of a local girl, despite their protestations that they've never met.

The Birling clan is led by Broadway actors Joseph Dellger as patriarch Arthur Birling and Mia Dillon as matriarch Sybil Birling--both deliciously sanctimonious.

Christopher Kelly has just the right amount of restraint as the unrelenting Inspector Goole.

Katie Wieland commands the stage as Sheila Birling, who is really the heart of the group of characters, and John Skelley keeps right up with her as her fiancé Gerald Croft.

The cast has no weak link, with John Evans Reese equally impressive as Eric Birling.

The cast's accents are superb, surely in no small thanks to dialect coach Sarah Shippobotham.

The scenic design by Jason Simms is also very impressive, with the recreation of a gorgeous period dining room as its centerpiece. Surrounding it is a frame of steel girders and a background of worn brick, representative of the industrial area in which the home is located. It's a pity that the ambiance-creating brick wall, which is often covered with a black scrim, is not in full view for the duration of the show.

The costume design by Carol Wells-Day and hair and makeup by Amanda French are, as usual, true to the period and top-notch.

If you are a fan of DOWNTON ABBEY, or simply great theatre, whatever the setting or genre--you don't want to miss this one.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS plays through March 5, 2016. For tickets, call the box office at 801-581-6961 or visit www.pioneertheatre.org.

Photo Credit: L-R John Skelley (Gerald Croft), John Evans Reese (Eric Birling), Katie Wieland (Sheila Birling), Joseph Dellger (Arthur Birling), and Mia Dillon (Sybil Birling). Photo by Alexander Weisman.

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