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"An Inspector Calls," a classic British mystery about the clash of capitalism and class, should seem newly relevant to American theatergoers who are listening to the shrill arguments arising from this year's presidential election cycle.
And then there's this: The play is set in 1912, in an era that a lot of Utah theatergoers have become living-room experts upon, thanks to the phenomenal popularity of PBS' "Downton Abbey."
"That's the lens a lot of people will see the play through," says Pioneer Theatre Company guest director Mary Robinson, although the play's Birling family aren't landed gentry but have earned their wealth through manufacturing.
PTC's production of British writer J.B. Priestley's drama opens Friday, Feb. 19, and runs through March 5.
The play will be visually appealing, thanks to its jazz-era formal clothing, by resident designer Carol Wells-Day, and scenic design by guest artist Jason Simms.
Setting aside the visual attractions, there's the hybrid nature of Priestley's script. The story has elements of a thriller, as well as a whodunit, in the way it expects audience members to add up the clues.
"It's really in a class by itself, you can't really say it's a this or a that," says Robinson of the drama that debuted in 1945 and received a London revival in 1992, followed by British and American tours. A new TV adaptation aired last year on the BBC. "It uncovers uncomfortable truths and invites us to explore them in a very entertaining way. And the thriller aspect of the play is really fun."
The plot's takeoff point is simple: During an engagement celebration for Sheila Birling (Katie Wieland) and her fiancé, Gerald Croft (John Skelley), the family's evening is interrupted by a mysterious inspector who says he is investigating a factory girl's suicide.
Curiously, Inspector Goole's (Christopher Kelly) leading questions begin to suggest that each member of the dinner party unwittingly had interactions with the girl that might have led to her desperate act.
"That's the allure of it, that everybody, including the characters, think you are entering into this drawing-room British period piece," says Kelly, a New York-based actor returning to PTC after acting in "A Few Good Men," "The Foreigner," "The Yellow Leaf" and "Dracula." "And just like what happens in the room, it's not quite like it seems. It appears as if it might be a routine investigation, and of course it turns out to be something different."
More than 70 years on, the playwright's call to consider how we are interconnected sounds prescient during another time of disconnect between the world's haves and have-nots. Undergirding the story is each character's coming-to-consciousness — or not — about how their actions cause chain reactions.
"Nobody escapes in this one," says Kelly, and that includes patriarch Arthur Birling (Joseph Dellger) and his wife, Sybil (Mia Dillon).
As the play is set on the cusp of the ill-fated journey of the Titanic and the coming outbreak of a world war, Dellger says his blustery, bombastic character is blinded by his capitalist-fueled optimism.
"I think it's pretty relevant that the message [of the story] is about taking care of one another," says Dellger, whose acting credits include Broadway's "Ragtime" and "Porgy and Bess," as well as Off-Broadway's long-running "The Fantasticks." "We can't lose sight of that. We've seen what happens when we don't."
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'An Inspector Calls'
Pioneer Theatre Company presents J.B. Priestley's "drawing-room" mystery-thriller-drama. Fans of 'Downtown Abbey' should like this play, which is set in the same era, says guest director Mary Robinson.
When • Friday, Feb. 19, through Saturday, March 5: Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturday matinees, 2 p.m.; Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.Where • Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $25-$44; $5 more on the day of the show; K-12 students are eligible for half-price tickets for Monday and Tuesday shows. (Before Feb. 12, early-bird discounts for first seven performances). Tickets available at 801-581-6961 or pioneertheatre.org.