Remake of inspector calls.

Act 1

The dining-room of a fairly suburban house,belonging to a prosperous manufactuer. It has good solid furniture of the period.The general effect is subsatined and heavily comfortable,but not cosy and homelike.(If a realisted set is used,then it should be swung back,as it was in the production at the new theatre. By doing this, you can have the dining-table centre downstage during act one , when it is needed there,and then , swining back , can reveal the fireplace for act two and then for act three can show a small table witha telephone on it , downstage of fireplace , and by this time the dining-table amd its chairs have moved well upstage. Produced who wish to advoid this tricky business, which involves two re-setting of the scene and some very accurate adjustments of the extra flats necessary,would be well advised to dispense with an ordinary realistic set,if only because the dining-table becomes a nusiance.The lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives and then it should be brighter and harder.)

At rise of curtain, the four Birling and Gerald are seated at the table , with Arthur Birling at one end , his wife at the other. Eric downstage,and shelia and gerald seated upstage.Edna, the parlourmaid is just clearing the table,which has no cloth, of dessert plates and champagne glasses,etc.,and then replacing them with decanter of port,cigar box and cigarettes.Port glasses are already on the table.All five are in evening dress of the period,the men in tails and white ties,not dinner-jackets.Arthur Birling is a heavy-looking , rather portentous man in his middle fiftes with a fairly easy manners but rather provincal in his speech.His wife is about fifty,a rather cold woman and her husband's social superior.Shelia is a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather exicted.Gerald croft is an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town.Eric is in his early twenties, not quite at ease , half-shy , half-assertive,At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion and are pleased with themselves.

Birling:giving us the port,Edna?Thats right( He pushes it towards Eric) You ought to like this port , Gerald. As a matter of fact , finchley told me its exactly the same port that your father gets from gets from him.

Gerald: then it'll be all right.The governor prides himself on being a good judge of port.I dont pretend to know much about it.(Edna crosses to sideboard.)

Sheila:(Gaily,possessively,) I should jolly well think so,Gerald.I'd hate you to know all about port-like one of these purple-faced old men.(Edna crosses to sideboard.)

Birling:Here , Im not a purple-faced old man.

Sheila;No,not yet. But then you don't know all about port-do you?

Birling:(noticing that his wife has not taken any) Now then, Sybil , you must take a little tonight. Special occasion ,y'know , eh?

Shelia:Yes, go on , mummy . You must drink our health.(Edna goes to the table)

Mrs B:(smiling)Very well then , just a little , thank you.(To Edna, who is about to go with the tray.)All right, Edna. I'll ring from the drawing room when we want coffee. Probably in about half an hour.  

Edna:(going) Yes ma'am

(Edna goes out .They now have all the glasses filled. Birling beams at them and clearly relaxes.)

 Birling:well,well-this is very nice. Very nice. Good dinner too, Sybil. Tell the cook from me.

Gerald:(politely) Absolutely first-class.

Mrs B:(reproachfully)Arthur,you're not supposed to say such things-

Birling:Oh-come,come-I'm treating Gerald like one of the family.And Im sure he wont object.

Shelia:(With mock aggressiveness) Go on,Gerald-just you object!

Gerald:(smiling)Wouldnt dream of it.In fact,I insist upon being one of the family now.I've been trying long enough,havent I?(As Shelia does not relpy,with more insistence.)Haven't I?        You know i have.

Mrs.Birling:(smiling)Of course she does.

Shelia:(Half serious,half playful.)