JB Priestley Revival Ignites Debate: “An Inspector Calls” and Socialism Take Center Stage at Donmar!

JB Priestley’s oeuvre is a formidable collection of 39 plays, 26 novels, and numerous nonfiction works. Despite being rather dismissively called “one of the tradesmen of letters” by Virginia Woolf, Priestley’s work remains vitally important in the literary world. This is particularly evident as one of his most celebrated plays, When We Are Married, is set to be performed anew at the Donmar Warehouse in London. It’s an opportune moment to explore what makes Priestley’s writing endure through the ages.

An excellent starting point is his play, An Inspector Calls, which saw a notable revival in 1992 by Stephen Daldry. The revival has been successful for over three decades. Daldry, along with his designer Ian MacNeil, approached the play as an expressionist tale, focusing on a family teetering on the brink of collapse, thereby bringing out the play’s profound thematic depth.

The lasting appeal of An Inspector Calls, I believe, can be attributed to the Inspector’s haunting words: “We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.” This message of interconnectedness and mutual responsibility resonates just as strongly today—whether in the context of the 1946 post-war era, the 1992 post-Thatcher period, or our current divided times.

Delving into Priestley’s other plays, one cannot help but notice his repeated calls for social justice, woven together with a thread of romantic mysticism. The year 1937 marked the debut of two of his plays centered around time theories: Time and the Conways, which draws on J.W. Dunne’s theory of time’s simultaneity, and I’ve Been Here Before, which contemplates P.D. Ouspensky’s idea of cyclical existences. These concepts of time are intriguing, but they are always underscored by Priestley’s compassionate socialism.

A particularly poignant scene in Time and the Conways features a female teacher envisioning a society of “a free, happy prosperous people all enjoying equal opportunities, living at peace with the whole world”—a dream articulated in 1919 and revisited in 1937, highlighting a bitter irony. Similarly, in I’ve Been Here Before, an industrialist’s defense of a German refugee against working-class prejudice could easily resonate with contemporary audiences.

Among my personal favorites is Priestley’s The Linden Tree. Written during the harsh winter of January 1947—a time of national crisis—and revived in 2006 by Christopher Morahan, this play predates the modern ‘state-of-the-nation’ plays associated with writers like David Hare and James Graham. The narrative revolves around a history professor forced into retirement at 65, critiquing society’s undervaluation of age and wisdom. Yet, the core of the play is the professor’s dialogue with his daughter, who has left England for a glamorous life in France. He implores her to appreciate Britain’s attempt to undergo a peaceful revolution, free from the violent upheavals typical of history.

In the same year as The Linden Tree, Priestley also published Theatre Outlook, a fiery critique of the conservative theatre industry, advocating for socialist reforms. He criticized wealthy theatre owners, narrow-minded politicians, and conservative audiences while championing increased government funding and the establishment of civic theatres that reflect local communities.

Many of Priestley’s aspirations have been realized, though his vision of a vibrant, regionally distinct repertory theatre network has waned due to financial constraints over time. Yet, Priestley’s blend of idealism and mysticism is ever-present, as seen in plays like Summer Day’s Dream. Set post-nuclear catastrophe in 1975, it features characters from diverse backgrounds discovering the enchanting heritage of rural England, showcasing Priestley’s enduring romanticism and visionary socialism.

• When We Are Married is at the Donmar Warehouse, London, 6 December-7 February