Priestley

What a wonderful playwright J.B.Priestley is. Just seen the now pretty famous and much travelled Stephen Daltry version of his play "The Inspector Calls" and it is very good. But I would have preferred not to have had the rather tricksy set which seemed designed more to give the special effects people satisfaction than anyone else. I think it is one of those plays that needs to be in a closed room where the people, as it were, can't escape their torments.
It is, of course, one of Priestley's "time plays"; I have never understood what the philosophy behind this term means - nor do I want to thank you. But whatever it is, it does not interfere with the dramatic action which flows easily and grippingly along: one doesn't need to know what his time notions were because it can be viewed as a straight forward realistic play.
It does hold together perfectly I think and carries a superb punch directed at the upper middle classes and their neglect of those who have not their priveliges.
Priestley used to say that he made more money from his plays than from his novels since the novels are dated and disappear from the public attention but the plays go on and on. It's certainly true of "The Inspector Calls". The others work well too: "Dangerous Corner"; "Time and the Conways" and "I have been here before".
I seem to be getting to like Priestley more now that he has long since been dead than before when he was very much alive, writing articles making radio broadcasts, writing novels, plays and histories; I always felt there was something artificial about his Northern folksiness, now I'm getting to like it if not close to admiring it.
One of his essays was included in a book of essays I had to study in school a long time ago; it was called "T' Match"; I never thought it compared with the others in the book but I think now that I was a bit of an intellectual snob then. Now I'd like to read it again. Must look it up somewhere.