THE PAST IS NEVER DEAD —
IT RINGS THE DOORBELL

Priestley’s prophetic 1945 masterpiece
glows with fierce clarity at Theatre 40

Masquerading as one of those staid drawing room mysteries Agatha Christie would knock off during Afternoon Tea while nibbling on scones with clotted cream and crustless cucumber sandwiches, An Inspector Calls by British playwright J. B. Priestley (1894–1984), currently on stage at Theatre 40, is a modern morality play set in an English drawing room which ends in the obdurate evisceration of a family.

Quinn Ruby Devries, Diana Angelina, Issac W. Jay,
Montry Renfrow, Katyana Rocker-Cook, David Hunt Stafford

The play opens in the opulent residence of Arthur Birling (David Hunt Stafford), a man of wealth and position, who sees himself as a towering colossus of capitalism. Like the British Empire itself, Birling stands at a summit, gazing forth to the future with a confidence that blinds him to the plunging abyss at his feet. He and his grandiose wife Sybil (Diana Angelina) are celebrating the engagement of their sheltered and pampered daughter Sheila (Katyana Rocker-Cook) to the debonair Gerald Croft (Isaac W. Jay), whose titled father is Birling’s foremost business competitor. Birling, while elated by the thought of his daughter’s nuptials, is ecstatic at the prospects of a business merger. Also present, if less festive, is Sheila’s older brother Eric (Monty Renfrow), who feels his father’s disappointment when comparing him to his future brother-in-law.

Mouchette van Helsdingen & Diana Angelina

Other than Eric’s persistence in refilling his sherry glass more often than his father approves of, the evening is proving a smashing success, with the elder Birling revealing good news of his own: that he is under consideration for a knighthood, which he fully expects to receive — providing, he remarks offhandedly, with an eye to Eric, the family avoids any scandal.

Abruptly, their maid Edna (Quinn De Vries) appears, interrupting the celebratory mood with the announcement of an unexpected caller at their door: Police Inspector Goole (Mouchette van Helsdingen), who wishes to speak to the family.

Isabella Dibernardino & Isaac W, Jay

Entering, Inspector Goole announces that she is there on official business, investigating the death of a young woman in the hospital infirmary two hours prior. The young woman had swallowed a strong disinfectant, she informs the family. The Inspector continues to provide additional details, each one more disturbing than the last: “Burnt her inside out, of course… Yes, she was in great agony… Suicide, of course.”

Birling takes offense at Goole’s attitude and the tone of her questioning. “We’re respectable citizens,” he rebukes her. “Not dangerous criminals.” The Inspector replies, with a disquieting smile, “Sometimes there isn’t as much difference as you think.”

Isaac W. Jay & Katyana Rocker-Cook

Methodically, Goole moves among all those within the room, showing each a photo of Eva Smith (Isabella DiBernardino), the young woman who now lies dead on a cold infirmary slab.

Each, Goole relates, has had an encounter with her, and each encounter impelled her deeper into the hopelessness that brought about her death.

David Hunt-Stafford, Katyana Rocker-Cook, Diana Angelina, Monty Renfrow

Returning from the First World War, Priestley came to be associated with the Fabian Society, an organization promoting democratic socialism founded by the Victorian era’s most prominent reformers: George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, the British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell, pioneering sexologist Havelock Ellis, and the Californian millionaire who donated the land for the Los Angeles boulevard that still bears his name, Gaylord Wilshire.

Priestley went on to become a popular broadcaster and commentator on BBC Radio. Emerging as a political activist promoting the socialist agenda, he saw the theatre as another means of placing the principles of socialism before the public.

David Hunt Stafford, Quinn Ruby DeVries,
Monty Renfrow, Katyana Rocker-Cook, Diana Angelina

An Inspector Calls, which Priestley claimed he wrote in a single week, had its London premiere in 1946 with Ralph Richardson in the titular role of Inspector Goole. The play captivated audiences by functioning on multiple levels. First and foremost, it is a crime drama, a murder mystery with a young and beautiful victim but no murderer. It is a thriller, challenging audiences to decipher its clues. It is a family drama in a household of strangers. But foremost, it is a morality tale that embodies a political debate.

As mounted at Theatre 40, An Inspector Calls is as close to a flawless production as I have seen in quite some time. The cast is uniformly excellent to the point where, in looking for a standout performance to bestow with additional kudos, I found myself thoroughly frustrated. They were all standouts. This extends to De Vries in the role of the household maid Edna. Assigned to what a lesser actor would disparage as a spear-carrier, De Vries, by anchoring herself in the reality of each moment, transforms her small role into an impressive performance. DiBernardino possesses a beauty that could grace the canvases of pre-Raphaelite artists. She appears as the silent spirit of Eva Smith in the flashbacks of those the Inspector interrogates, her aura of vulnerability and doomed innocence electrifying every moment.

David Hunt Stafford, Mouchette van Helsdingen

This level of achievement is only attained through the accomplishments of many. Set designer Jeff G. Rack, in union with costume designer Michael Mullen, has recreated the period to perfection, while sound designer Nick Foran and lighting designer Derrick McDaniel succeed in shifting scenes across locales and time. Attention to detail is attested to with hair/wig/makeup design credited to Judi Lewin.

Artistry is never arrived at by accident, and such poetry and power on stage require an amalgamation of specific abilities, talents, and skills. The assembly of this singular alliance most often can be ascribed to the involvement of an adept producer — in this case, David Hunt Stafford (yes, who also swaggers the boards as Arthur Birling). Of course, the most crucial decision facing any producer is that of director, and again, Stafford’s selection is well chosen.

David Hunt Stafford, Diana Angelina, Isaac W. Jay, Mouchette van Helsdingen

Cate Caplin’s precision is perceptible in every moment and evident in each movement. Her staging, like life, is conveyed as a single continuous motion, infusing her pacing with a natural vitality. She has committed to every character’s complete integration with each motion, infusing her performers and their roles as written to highlight Priestley’s dramatic intentions with jarring clarity.

For example, Croft, the epitome of class superiority and breeding, during the Inspector’s interrogation, insists that on meeting the destitute Eva his motives were purely altruistic. Then, in speaking of what was appealing about her, he describes her as “fresh.” With this single slip, Priestley exposes Croft. The privileged young heir did not perceive her as a human being but as “meat” to feed on. She was “fresh.”

David Hunt Stafford, Monty Renfrow

At its core, An Inspector Calls is a political debate between the merits of socialism as opposed to capitalism, and as we have a presidential administration that seems determined to recast our Republic as a plutocracy, that debate takes on a greater urgency.

Ms. van Helsdingen is superb as the voice of our better angels, and the insights Goole offers — written eight decades ago — still need to be heard:

“We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.”

I cannot imagine a better production of An Inspector Calls. It is, without question, superior to the 1992 National Theatre revival. Stephen Daldry’s deconstructed, “meta-theatrically” über-reimagining of the play was almost as audacious as it was annoying; with the production winning so many awards, nobody thought to ask, “Hey, isn’t it supposed to be comprehensible?”

That is not a problem with Theatre 40’s An Inspector Calls — not in the least.

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photos by Gabriel Tejeda-Benitez

An Inspector Calls
Theatre 40
Mary Levin Cutler Theatre, 241 S. Moreno, on the campus of Beverly Hills High School
accessed via the driveway at the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives
Thurs-Sat at 7:30; Sun at 2; Wed at 7:30 (Dec. 3 and 10); dark Nov 26 & 27
ends on December 14, 2025
then plays at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills January 8-18, 2026
for tickets ($35 | $75 at Greystone Mansion), call 310.364.0535 or visit Theatre 40

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