Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Review: An Inspector Calls makes for a thrilling night of intrigue at HMT in Aberdeen

The show may be 80 years old, but it has lost none of its bite.

Our review of An Inspector Calls as the show arrives in Aberdeen.
Our review of An Inspector Calls as the show arrives in Aberdeen. Image: Mark Douet/Aberdeen Performing Arts

I must admit to feeling a bit nervous when I heard that this new production of An Inspector Calls at Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre would run for an hour and 45 minutes, with no intermission…

It’s a bold move, which speaks of the confidence the makers must have in this show.

But what if I didn’t like it? What if I got too comfy and dozed off, or needed a toilet break at a crucial moment?

However, as the plot cracked along at a galloping pace – inviting the audience to lean in closer for every gasp-inducing revelation – I was glad it went uninterrupted.

And I didn’t even miss having the usual half-time refreshment.

The show will run at HMT all week. Image: Mark Douet/Aberdeen Performing Arts

What happens in An Inspector Calls?

An air raid siren wails across His Majesty’s Theatre at 7.30pm on Tuesday night as An Inspector Calls gets off to an unnerving start.

There’s a foreboding mood in the air, as rain (well, real water at least!) lashes the stage around the grand mansion where the action takes place.

The audience is put in the shoes of the children playing outside as we strain to eavesdrop on the dinner party taking place at the opulent Birling residence.

Jackie Morrison as Mrs Birling, who cannot abide “impertinence”… Image: Mark Douet/Aberdeen Performing Arts

From the outset, it’s clear these people live in a different world entirely.

A few minutes in, what I presume to be a straggler looking for their seat turns out to be lead actor Tim Treloar making his entrance through the middle of the stalls.

At first, this mysterious figure strikes a stoic pose, but as he probes further into the case, his emotions come pouring out.

Little is as it seems in An Inspector Calls

Inspector Goole is there to probe the suicide of a young woman named Eva Smith – who may have had links to several members of the family…

But very little is as it seems in this play, which was written by Bradford-born JB Priestley and reimagined by Stephen Daldry.

An Inspector Calls earned rave reviews from the Aberdeen crowd. Image: Mark Douet/Aberdeen Performing Arts

Indeed, we are left questioning whether the protagonist is something more akin to one of Charles Dickens’ Christmas ghosts than an average copper.

This thought-provoking examination of the class system sets itself out to be much more than a simple whodunnit.

By the end, as the inspector delivers a heartfelt appeal to collective humanity, it’s clear this is an address intended not just for the characters on stage.


Did you see the show? Let us know your thoughts in our comments section below


Would I recommend An Inspector Calls?

I would urge anyone on the fence to head along to this production – you won’t regret it.

There are some amazing performances, spectacular sets and an astonishing bit of stagecraft near the end that it really would be a shame to spoil…

Treloar is a captivating, dynamic lead brimming with charisma, while each of the Birling clan plays their parts to perfection.

The staging is very inventive. Image: Mark Douet/Aberdeen Performing Arts

This is high class theatre at its best, and it’s easy to see why this record-breaking version of the classic play has won so many awards.

Walking home, I think about how the cost of living crisis is driving thousands in Aberdeen to seek the kind of charity explored in the production, and realise how little has changed in the 80 years since it was written.

The show runs until Saturday and you can buy tickets here.


Read more:

Review: &Juliet a fun filled joy that more than lived up to they hype

Review: Lyric’s Witches of Eastwick brought tears of pride to my eyes as Aberdeen cast worked their magic

Review: Dear Evan Hansen earned HMT standing ovation with some of the best modern musical songs I’ve ever heard

Conversation