Review: An Inspector Calls

Review: An Inspector Calls | Elemental Theatre Company | Denver, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald

The cast of An Inspector Calls

Tucked away at the Golda Meir House Museum on the Auraria Campus—a locale certainly off the beaten theatrical track—Elemental Theatre Company’s production of An Inspector Calls proved well worth the trip. Under the direction of Kiso Kyle, this intimate staging of J.B. Priestley’s classic thriller unfolded with clarity and urgency that made the unconventional setting feel not like an obstacle, but an unexpected asset.

First produced in 1945, J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls has earned its reputation as a tightly wound moral thriller—part drawing‑room mystery, part social reckoning. Priestley, always attuned to questions of responsibility and the ripple effects of our choices, uses the Birling family’s slow unraveling to peel back the polished surface of respectability. For a start‑up company like Elemental Theatre, it’s an astute choice: the play’s compact structure, small ensemble, and thematic bite give emerging artists room to focus on performance and storytelling rather than spectacle.

Staging the play inside the Golda Meir House Museum proved an unexpectedly effective choice. The museum’s compact rooms and lived‑in historic character created a close‑quarters environment that suited the tension of Priestley’s drama, drawing the audience directly into the Birling family’s unraveling. Director Kiso Kyle leaned into the advantages of this more contained setting, shaping the tone with a deliberate, almost pressurized focus that kept the interactions taut and immediate. Rather than fighting the limitations of the venue, Kyle used the space’s intimacy to heighten the sense of scrutiny and moral unease that defines the play.

Set in the Birling family’s comfortable home, the play begins as Arthur Birling (Dan Marquardt), his wife Sybil (Kati Oltyan), their daughter Sheila (Bri Angle), and their son Eric (Braden Nash) are celebrating Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft (Rene Meyer). The evening is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Inspector Goole (Selena A. Naumoff), who brings news of a young woman’s tragic death. As the Inspector questions each member of the household—Gerald included—long‑buried connections surface, and the family’s polished façade begins to crack. What follows is a steadily tightening investigation that forces every character to confront their part in a story they would rather not claim, building toward revelations best discovered in the moment.

The highlight of the evening is Selena A. Naumoff as Inspector Goole. A longtime presence behind the scenes, Naumoff steps onstage at last and delivers a commanding, beautifully calibrated performance in the role. She finds exactly the right cadence—measured, probing, and quietly insistent—and quickly establishes herself as the driving force of the investigation. Her presence anchors the production, giving the unfolding interrogation a steady, compelling center.

Selena A. Naumoff as Inspector Goole

The rest of the ensemble provides steady support around Naumoff’s central presence. Dan Marquardt brings a firm, grounded authority to Arthur Birling, giving the family its outward sense of stability. As Sybil Birling, Kati Oltyan offers a composed, tightly controlled performance that underscores the character’s unshakable confidence in her own propriety. Bri Angle’s Sheila delivers a vivid emotional immediacy, charting the character’s shifts with clarity and conviction. Braden Nash gives Eric Birling a layered, quietly turbulent energy that deepens as the evening unfolds. And as Gerald Croft, Rene Meyer brings a youthful polish and delivers a clean, assured performance that fits neatly into the production’s overall rhythm.

The Birling family of An Inspector Calls

Kiso Kyle’s direction kept the production taut, moving at a pace that suited the tightening grip of Priestley’s story. She made smart use of the museum’s constrained footprint, guiding the actors with a sense of purpose that felt organic rather than improvised. Instead of trying to disguise the venue’s limitations, Kyle leaned into them, shaping the action with a clear, unfussy precision that foregrounded the script’s built‑in tension. Her attention remained firmly on the text and its naturally suspenseful undercurrents, allowing the play’s moral pressure to build without distraction.

A brief word about the dialect work coached by Bevin Antea: the overall guidance was solid, and several performers settled into their accents with a natural ease that supported the period setting. At times, though, the cast’s ability to maintain a consistent rhythmic flow varied from actor to actor, with a few slipping in and out of the intended sound. It’s a minor unevenness in an otherwise well‑shaped production, but worth noting given how much the play’s atmosphere relies on vocal precision.

The physical production was modest but thoughtfully assembled. Sasha Kyle provided the set elements, keeping things simple and functional in a venue that doesn’t easily lend itself to traditional scenic design. Costume designer Kati Oltyan offered well‑considered wardrobe choices that grounded each character in the period without overwhelming the intimate environment. Lighting and sound, handled by Selena A. Naumoff, were necessarily pared back given the company’s limited equipment, yet she managed to create clean cues and atmospheric touches that supported the action without drawing attention to the constraints. The overall effect was straightforward and effective, allowing the performances and the story to remain at the forefront.

Even though An Inspector Calls has now closed, it’s important to acknowledge the continued growth of Elemental Theatre Company. This was a solid, thoughtfully assembled staging that underscores the company’s developing strengths and its commitment to meaningful storytelling. With this momentum, their upcoming summer production of The Scarlet Pimpernel and the October production of The Turn of the Screw become even more intriguing, and it will be exciting to see how they build on the promise shown here.