Play by John B. Priestley
Directed by Thomas Weber-Schallauer; Stage: Bettina Neuhaus
Everything is perfect! Finally, the successful entrepreneur Arthur Birling can celebrate the engagement of his daughter Sheila to Gerald, the son of his business partner, and thus the merger of the previously competing companies Birling and Croft, in the cosy family circle. Money comes to money, feelings are right, financially and socially everything is on course for success. It could have been a really nice evening, but then an uninvited guest bursts into the family happiness: an inspector arrives.
He investigates the case of Eva Smith. The former employee of the Birling's family business has killed herself for reasons as yet unexplained. No one from the Birling house feels responsible in any way. The inspector, however, confronts the company with facts and makes connections that suddenly implicate everyone involved in the case. The merry family party mutates into an evening of realization that none of the revelers can escape. Is this doomsday - or all just a misunderstanding?
British author John Boynton Priestley wouldn't be the virtuoso of the psychological crime genre if he didn't surprise us with a brilliant final punchline that turns this sophisticated psychological thriller into far more than a scavenger hunt of criminal clues. This fascinating 1945 drama about a group of people becoming "unconsciously" guilty of the suicide of a young working-class woman is a criminal mind game that ends up becoming reality. A modern theatre classic.
Source and further information: www.fritzremond.de
