It is perhaps appropriate that for Stewart Pringle’s final show at the helm of the Old Red Lion, he’s gone with his beloved horror genre. And following in the success of their Arthur Miller discovery No Villain, this Angel pub theatre is impressively punching above its weight again
AN INSPECTOR CALLS – West End
Timeless and yet innovative, Stephen Daldry’s production of An Inspector Calls is a treat as the director reprises his bold take on JB Priestley’s famed work. Ian MacNeil’s dynamic and innovative set acts as much more than a mere backdrop.
AN INSPECTOR CALLS – West End
Seventy years ago, J B Priestley’s thriller An Inspector Calls was first staged in the UK. Twenty-five years ago, Stephen Daldry’s acclaimed, progressive production opened at the National. His approach shook up the insular, drawing room script in order to highlight the selfish elitism of the middle and upper classes and has been regularly staged since 1992.
AN INSPECTOR CALLS – West End
Written by J B Priestley at the end of the Second World War and set before the First, An Inspector Calls is a compelling and haunting thriller. The story begins when the mysterious Inspector Goole calls unexpectedly on the prosperous Birling family home.
AN INSPECTOR CALLS – West End
Stephen Daldry’s award-winning production of JB Priestley’s classic thriller returns to London once again to explore the consequences of collective responsibility.
NEWS: Cast & extension confirmed for JB Priestley’s Benighted at Old Red Lion
As An Inspector Calls returns to the West End, a new stage adaptation of his 1927 novel Benighted prepares to open on the fringe at London’s Old Red Lion Theatre on 6 December 2016. Cast has been announced for the production, which has also now extended booking through to 7 January 2017.
AN INSPECTOR CALLS – West End
Hasn’t everyone seen this play by now? Since opening at the National in 1992, it has had three West End runs and six major national tours, not to mention a Tony-winning trip to Broadway too. So yes, they probably have. But JB Priestley’s play remains a stalwart on English GCSE syllabus and so there’s always fresh eyes coming anew to the drama.
THE ROUNDABOUT – Park Theatre
Bessie Carter has the knack of moving seamlessly from a carefree, smiley young woman, to a conniving estranged daughter, to an opinionated Communist. Facial expressions that she puts to excellent use in abundance speak volumes.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… The Roundabout’s star Bessie Carter
I spoke to actress Bessie Carter about her character in JB Priestley’s The Roundabout, running at London’s Park Theatre until 24 September 2016, how the show has been received so far and her famous parents.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… The Roundabout’s director Hugh Ross
I wanted to do the play as truthfully and faithfully as JB Priestley intended it to be. I said to Priestley’s agent that I had no intention of setting it in a fairground just because it’s called The Roundabout. I believe that, as director, I should put across what the writer is trying to get across rather than having a vision or concept of my own.
Edinburgh Fringe: The Rose & Crown
Assiduously performed, and building up an air of mystery, The Rose and Crown has much about it that is striking.
I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE – Jermyn Street Theatre
Of all the lessons theatre has taught us about the backwash of WW1, some of the most fascinating are in 1930’s plays, often here. If you want to feel Auden’s “low dishonest decade”, with its troubled angry survivors, struggling widows and reckless gropings for an individual-centred sexual code, then trawl contemporary plays.
I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE – Jermyn Street Theatre
Of all the lessons theatre has taught us about the backwash of WW1, some of the most fascinating are in 1930’s plays, often here. If you want to feel Auden’s “low dishonest decade”, with its troubled angry survivors, struggling widows and reckless gropings for an individual-centred sexual code, then trawl contemporary plays.