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DRAMA PACKS A PUNCH

By Kate Young - Friday, April 18, 2008
DRAMA PACKS A PUNCH
Ventnor Theatre Group’s An Inspector Calls featured Stephen Trasler as Inspector Goole, Matthew Busbridge as Eric Birling, John Woodford as Arthur Birling, Carol Wigmore as Sybil Birling, Thomas R.B. Pearson III as Gerald Croft and Sasha Paris-Cave as Sheila Birling. Picture by LAURA HOLME.
STAGE REVIEWS
MYSTERY and suspense was the order of the day at An Inspector Calls, performed by Ventnor Theatre Group.
Director Bill King chose simple scenery and a theatre-in-the-round style to bring out the very best in this drama in the dining room.
Those familiar with this play by J.B. Priestley, will know it is set in a thriving industrial time, right before the Titanic tragedy and the outbreak of the First World War and the era was recreated well.
The plot centres around the well-off Birling family, who each slowly discover their actions may have contributed to the death of a young girl.
John Woodford was very strong in the role of Arthur Birling, the well-connected businessman who knows everyone who is anyone and is desperate to avoid a scandal.
The three teenagers in the cast — Matthew Busbridge, Thomas R. B. Pearson III and Sasha Paris Cave — excelled in the roles of Eric Birling, Gerald Croft and Sheila Birling respectively.
Matthew came across as both angry and brutally honest as Arthur’s son, Eric; while Sasha gave a powerful performance as horrified daughter Sheila and Thomas was entirely believable as her fiance, Gerald, who gained the audience’s sympathy as he relayed how he had first become involved with the girl.
Carol Wigmore as Arthur’s wife, Sybil Birling, remained resolute in believing she had done nothing wrong, even when Inspector Goole, superbly played by Stephen Trasler, gave her a really good grilling.
The cast was completed by Jayne Hill as Edna the maid and for those who don’t know the play, be warned — there is a good twist which highlights the class divide and the differences in attitude between the two generations.