Before An Inspector Calls

The surreal elements of Priestley’s play are extended backwards in time to the afternoon of the fateful day. The Inspector arrives at the scene of a suicide and begins his investigation. ‘Eva Smith’, who does not appear in the Priestley play, speaks through the words she left behind in her journal, and in the Inspector’s mind. The ‘reality’ or otherwise of the Inspector in Priestley’s play is subject to endless discussion as are the origins of the motivation of that character. The young woman, ‘Eva Smith’, likewise is deliberately not necessarily a real individual and does not appear in the original play.

This new show by Jan van der Black and Polymorph Theatre builds on the themes in JB Priestley’s original, exploring the events from the point of view of the victim. Inspired by JB Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’, the show was originally intended to be Polymorph’s presentation at Edinburgh Fringe 2020, until circumstances in the shape of a worldwide pandemic intervened.