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Canberra Today 15°/17° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Suspense is the star for Tempo

Top: Mark Bunnet as the Inspector; Bottom: Kim Wilson manufacturer Arthur Birling
TEMPO Theatre has today unveiled its plans for another nerve-wracking murder-mystery to run in the theatre at the Belconnen Community Centre.

This time it is J.B. Priestley’s all-time favourite, “An Inspector Calls”, where suspense combines with social commentary.

The play’s director Bill Kolentsis calls it “a bit more gritty” than their usual Agatha Christie shows, particularly if you consider “The Mousetrap”, in which the plot seems largely improbable.

As in “The Mousetrap”,  the challenge is to maintain the tension, he says , yet “one of the reasons I’ve chosen it is the strong focus on community”.

For those not in the know, the play, set in 1912, hints at the influence of the Industrial Revolution and a new kind of society, with the focus on industry and individualism.

The  main characters are a selfish lot — wealthy manufacturer Arthur Birling and his family, who are about to enjoy their daughter’s engagement dinner.

There is a ring at the door and a police inspector calls, with questions that shatter their complacency.

Who, if any of the characters, is responsible for the death of a young girl, Eva Smith?

It’s a challenge for Tempo newcomer; experienced actor Mark Bunnet. His role is subtly different from the other characters and we never really know who he is.

Who really is the Inspector? Kolentsis, his cast, and indeed anyone who sees  the play will be asking. God? The Voice of Conscience? An angel? Even the Saviour, as he tries to “save” the name of a young girl Eva Smith (Eve Everywoman?)

The cast includes Kim Wilson as Arthur Birling; Margi Sainsbury as his wife, Sybil; Clare Rankine and Sean Flynn as their children, Sheila and Eric; Paul Jackson is Gerald Croft, Sheila’s fiancé; and Amber Spooner is the maid, Edna. It’s  a mixture, Kolentsis says, of old and new Tempo faces.

The set designed by the director may look like a drawing-room, but it is really the world at large, and the trick, he believes, will be keeping up the apprehension.

“An Inspector Calls”  at theatre@bcc (formerly known as the Belconnen Theatre at the Belconnen Community Centre)   at 7:30 pm on May 25, 26, 30, 31, June 1 and 2, with Bookings to  6275 2700 or www.canberrraticketing.com.au. Tickets at the door are cash only.

 

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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