JB Priestley's play 'When We Are Married' is set for a revival at London's Donmar Warehouse, prompting a reassessment of the Yorkshire playwright's enduring legacy. While 'An Inspector Calls' remains his most famous work, Priestley's broader output—including 39 plays and 26 novels—deserves attention for its consistent plea for social justice.
'An Inspector Calls', famously revived by Stephen Daldry in 1992, continues to resonate. Daldry's production treated the play as an expressionist fable, and the Inspector's warning—'We are responsible for each other'—remains timely in today's polarised society.
Priestley's other plays, such as 'Time and the Conways' and 'I've Been Here Before', explore time and mysticism while underpinning his humane socialism. 'The Linden Tree', written in 1947, is a state-of-the-nation play that defends the postwar Attlee government against tyranny.
In 'Theatre Outlook', Priestley argued for increased subsidy, tours by national companies, and a chain of civic theatres. While some of his visions have been realised, his ideal of a network of regional repertory companies has been eroded by time and underfunding.
