Hamish Riddle

The U.S. tour of the National Theatre's multiple award-winning production of J.B. Priestley's classic thriller, AN INSPECTOR CALLS, presented by ArtsEmerson at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, features masterful direction by Stephen Daldry (who also directed the 1992 West End revival), Ian MacNeil's grand-scale set, spectacular design elements (lighting, sound, and music), as well as a sterling cast of British actors in the principal roles, making you feel as if you have crossed the pond and are in attendance at the venerable National Theatre. Written in 1945 at the end of World War II, Priestley set the action in the fictional town of Brumley, England, in 1912, when the winds of the Great War were in the offing, and these bookends provide a sociopolitical arc to the plot. Pitting the attitudes of the wealthy proponents of industrial capitalism against the socialist view of the needs of the working class, the play strikingly resonates with the current climate of privilege, income inequality, and #MeToo.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS is a gripping theatrical experience from start-to-finish. Director Stephen Daldry's breathtaking revival of J.B. Priestley's 1946 thriller had its origins in 1992 and comes to Chicago Shakespeare Theater now as part of an international tour from the National Theatre of Great Britain. Though Daldry originally conceived of this staging decades ago and Priestly has set his play in 1912, this production possesses both a timeliness and a timelessness that make it deeply impactful now.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the National Theatre of Great Britain's award-winning production of JB Priestley's classic thriller An Inspector Calls, hailed by the Evening Standard as "an epic for our epoch, a thrillingly physical piece of theatre-with the power to stir the heart as much as the mind." The production is staged by Stephen Daldry, whose extraordinary career spans genres from the hit Netflix series The Crown; to films, with Oscar-nominated pictures like The Reader, The Hours, Billy Elliot, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; to the stage, where his Billy Elliot the Musical was honored with ten Tony Awards, and his current production of The Inheritance is enjoying an acclaimed run in London's West End.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS has been described in the Washington Post as, 'an episode of 'The Twilight Zone' wrapped in an Agatha Christie mystery,' and after seeing the show at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, I must say that about sums up the play for me. Running at almost two hours without an intermission, at first it seemed to be just a bunch of talking heads yelling loudly with strong British accents – that is until the end when a Rod Serling-like phone call delivers a twist that sets the whole thing into the realm of “what just really happened?”

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the National Theatre of Great Britain's award-winning production of JB Priestley's classic thriller An Inspector Calls, hailed by the Evening Standard as "an epic for our epoch, a thrillingly physical piece of theatre-with the power to stir the heart as much as the mind." The production is staged by Stephen Daldry, whose extraordinary career spans genres from the hit Netflix series The Crown; to films, with Oscar-nominated pictures like The Reader, The Hours, Billy Elliot, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; to the stage, where his Billy Elliot the Musical was honored with ten Tony Awards, and his current production of The Inheritance is enjoying an acclaimed run in London's West End.

Stephen Daldry ('The Crown,' Billy Elliot, The Inheritance) directs his National Theatre of Great Britain's landmark production of J.B. Priestley's classic thriller An Inspector Calls, hailed as the theatrical event of its generation and winner of an unprecedented number of awards, including three Olivier's, four Tony's and seven Drama Desk Awards, with an exclusive West Coast engagement at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts from Tuesday, January 22 to Sunday, February 10, 2019.

Until director Stephen Daldry rediscovered J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls,' it had been relegated to dull British backwaters as ho-hum sub-Agatha Christie drawing room fare.

Winner of 19 major accolades, including multiple Tony, Olivier and Drama Desk Awards, Stephen Daldry's (Billy Elliot, The Crown) multi award-winning production of J.B. Priestley's classic thriller An Inspector Calls will kick off a four-city U.S. tour at Shakespeare Theatre Company from November 20 through December 23, 2018.

PW Productions are delighted to announce the full cast of the UK and US tour of Stephen Daldry's seminal production of JB Priestley's classic thriller "AN INSPECTOR CALLS" which opens at York Theatre Royal on Friday 14 September 2018 before touring to Cambridge Arts Theatre, New Wimbledon Theatre, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Washington DC, Wallis Annenberg Center Los Angeles, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Arts Emerson, Boston. Full tour listings below.

Following a successful run at the Playhouse Theatre, Stephen Daldry's multi award-winning production of An Inspector Calls will be closing on Saturday 25th March 2017.

Due to popular demand after returning to the West End, Stephen Daldry's multi award-winning production of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls has been extended until 25th March 2017.

Director Stephen Daldry's production of J B Priestly's An Inspector Calls, was first seen 24 years ago at the National Theatre in 1992 and has finally returned to London's West End after a long UK tour.

Clive Francis (The Crown, Netflix), Barbara Marten (Casualty) and Liam Brennan (Diary of a Madman - winner of a Stage Edinburgh Award) lead a dynamic cast in the much-anticipated return of Stephen Daldry's multi award-winning production of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls, running at the Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5DE now through Saturday 4th February 2017. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!???????

Clive Francis (The Crown, Netflix), Barbara Marten (Casualty) and Liam Brennan (Diary of a Madman - winner of a Stage Edinburgh Award) will lead a dynamic cast in the much-anticipated return of Stephen Daldry's multi award-winning production of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls. 

Clive Francis (The Crown, Netflix), Barbara Marten (Casualty) and Liam Brennan (Diary of a Madman - winner of a Stage Edinburgh Award) will lead a dynamic cast in the much-anticipated return of Stephen Daldry's multi award-winning production of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls.

Winner of 19 major international awards, Stephen Daldry's legendary production of J.B Priestley's classic thriller AN INSPECTOR CALLS returns for a 28-week national tour this autumn, coming to the Theatre Royal Glasgow from Tuesday 3 until Saturday 7 November.