Classy Vintage Mystery at Sunset Playhouse

×

Expand

Sunset Playhouse 'An Inspector Calls'

Sunset Playhouse 'An Inspector Calls'

The spacious main stage of the Sunset Playhouse plays host to a classy vintage mystery this month. Scenery by Michael Talaska and Matt Carr conjures the palatial feel of a wealthy British home in 1912 as the Sunset presents J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. A sharply crisp Mark Neufang stylishly brings the emotional pull of cool altruistic concern out of the shadows in the role of a detective who is investigating the apparent suicide of a young woman.

Martin Yates and Jenny Kosek are dramatically resolute as the Birlings: a wealthy couple questioned by the inspector. Miranda Hunt and Ryan Zierk hold the sharper edge of the drama as the daughter of the couple and her fiancee. Hans Pfrang performance as the Birlings’ son adds considerable emotional weight to the ensemble. What initially sounds like the tragic concern of a stranger is quickly revealed to be something considerably more complicated. Every person in the room seems to have had some sort of connection with the deceased woman. A well-articulated ensemble carefully wrestles with a very sophisticated allegory on the nature of social responsibility.

The script has a great deal of depth that could be easily overwhelmed by a lack of nuance. The thematic density of Priestly’s script is in good hands with Sunset. Director Carol Dolphin pulls a delicate gravity across the stage as the ensemble tumbles around in the exploration of the intricate complexity of human tragedy. The stark simplicity of the ensemble’s dramatic delivery allows Priestly’s drama to linger on the stage for long enough to slide into haunting shadows long after the final curtain.

Sunset Playhouse’s production of An Inspector Calls runs through June 19 at Furlan Auditorium, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For ticket reservations and more, visit sunsetplayhouse.com.