An Inspector Calls at the Shaw Festival (A Review)

The Inspector Calls, playing through October at the Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario), is an ingeniously plotted classic mystery play, full of well-timed twists and turns, a sure bet for an evening's entertainment. (I rant about the strong ideological content of this play in a separate article.) The Shaw Festival's presentation is more than competent, but we left disappointed.

It is a pleasure, year after year, to see Benedict Campbell at the Shaw Festival. What an outstanding, versatile actor! Six years ago, he was brilliant as Lear's loyal follower, the Earl of Kent, at the Stratford Festival (playing with Christopher Plummer's as Lear). Since then, happily, he has been at the Shaw, where, two years ago, I was genuinely moved at his and Kelli Fox's touching portrayal of the the complex relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Last year, we were astonished to see him singing and dancing in Mack and Mabel, in which, energetically and single-handedly, he set the tone for the Shaw's fabulous production.

Invisible Set

This year, Campbell is the Inspector in J. B. Priestley's thriller, and he has just the solid heft and authoritative presence that the role requires. He is, in fact, so convincing as an English police detective that many in our audience seemed to have difficulty accepting the possibility that he might be something else altogether. As to that, Priestley gives the audience plenty of clues, beginning with the Inspector's name, "Goole." Even so, I think many left the Festival Theater genuinely baffled as to just what had actually befallen the Birling family.

The set for An Inspector Calls features a large platform that rotates imperceptibly by 180 degrees during the course of the play, moving the actors and the props with it. (A friend told us that, in a late rehearsal, this platform had collapsed under the weight of the actors and had to be reinforced.) Its purpose seems to be to instruct the audience that, as new revelations about the Birlings made the characters to see their lives differently, so we the audience must see them from different perspectives as well. (As noted in my earlier post, Priestley's objective in this play is as much to indoctrinate as it is to entertain.)

And, indeed, shocking revelations about the encounters between the unfortunate Eva Smith and various members of the Birling family kept coming, keeping the audience buzzing at intermission about what they thought would be the next twist in the plot.

All said and done, however, the "thrill" was missing from this thriller. The revelatory moment in the last act when chills should have run up and down our spines came and went without chills. We never made any sense of a mysterious light that flitted randomly along the edges of the set. A female figure (who had no lines) appeared hazily on stage between scene changes for no apparent reason. As Arthur and Sybil Birling, two of our very favorite actors, Peter Hutt and Mary Haney, were not permitted to demonstrate their dramatic range and left us flat.

The Shaw Festival's artistic director, Jackie Maxwell, now overseeing her sixth season, seems to be following the practice of her predecessor, Christopher Newton, in allocating at least one slot in a season's playbill to something in the mystery/thriller genre, plays like Laura, Sorry Wrong Number, and Agatha Christie adaptations. Here I am reminded that our very worst experience at the Shaw Festival involved a play from this slot, 2006's disastrous The Invisible Man. The sets and the costumes were gorgeous, the special effects superb, and the acting unobjectionable. But what mediocre material the cast had to work with! That "suspense" play, in which invisible parts of Griffin's body were revealed during the opening scene, was about as suspenseful as a slasher movie in which teenagers start getting axed in the first five minutes. Nothing built up to anything, and the Invisible Man himself was a whining johnny-one-note. We never got to know any characters well enough to care about them, and the playwright failed to introduce two important characters, Dr. Kemp and his wife, until the play was mostly over. This year's An Inspector Calls is more like it.

An Inspector Calls at the Shaw Festival (A Review)

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Bose In-Wall Speakers: A Review of the Bose Virtually Invisible 191 Speakers

Different people have different desires for their home entertainment system. There are some who want to show off their woofers and speakers which stand or hang all over the place, while there are also some who want to keep their sound systems simple, plain, and even completely hidden. For that matter, Bose in-wall speakers are the perfect products, and the Bose Virtually Invisible 191 Speakers are one of the best models that the company can offer. This review will cover everything you need to know about this product.

General Description

Invisible Set

These speakers are virtually invisible because you can keep them in your walls and leave not a single trace. The set is comprised of two speakers and two pairs of frames which you can use to cover the speakers on the wall. One pair is rectangular while the other is circular, and both frames have speaker grilles each and a paint shield, so you can paint over the frame of the speakers without having to paint on the inside of the speaker or on the grilles. Each speaker has the dimensions of 13.75" x 7.88" x 3.88". The body of the speakers is kept inside the wall, along with the wires that connect them to your home entertainment system. The frame is flush mount so it still shows especially if you touch the surface of the wall, but besides that and the grilles, nothing else can be seen. These speakers are perfect if you want to conserve space in your living room or entertainment room, or if you want to reduce the appearance of so many gadgets and devices in your household.

Audio

This set of Bose in-wall speakers feature several trademark audio technologies from Bose. First is the Stereo Everywhere speaker performance which is designed to produce balanced stereo sound and distribute it on a wide area, which is comparably better than most ordinary speakers that only send sound to a single direction. And the Articulated Array speaker design features two precisely positioned full-range speaker drivers with a diameter of 2.5" and are designed to provide consistent, lifelike sound throughout a large listening area.

Other Features

There are more features to this model than just those already mentioned. The proprietary ported enclosure technology is designed to ensure consistent performance despite the space behind wall. It produces a cleaner and deeper low-frequency performance and it ensures that lower frequencies are directed into the appropriate listening area, and not into adjoining rooms. These speakers are also very easy to install, and the package includes the enclosure that balances easily in your wall during placement. This allows you to conveniently use both of your hands to connect the speaker wire and complete the installation even by yourself.

Conclusion

Despite its small size, the Bose Virtually Invisible 191 Speakers are definitely worth the expense because of their excellent quality and high technology make. Although they can be quite expensive, a lot of people have found these devices to be of great value for its price. For individuals out there who wish to have Bose in-wall speakers that don't just hide in the home décor but also makes great quality sound, I highly recommend this model.

Bose In-Wall Speakers: A Review of the Bose Virtually Invisible 191 Speakers

I have even more reviews and information about Bose cube speakers and Bose in wall speakers at my website. I will also let you in on a little secret: Where to get them cheaper than anyplace else on the web;) Many thanks for reading, and good luck!

Bose Ceiling Speakers: A Review of the Virtually Invisible 791 In-Ceiling Speakers

There is only one set of Bose ceiling speakers: the Virtually Invisible 791 In-Ceiling Speakers. The name is known for its excellent quality, and this set of ceiling speakers definitely upholds the reputation of the company. This is an in-depth review of the product.

General Description

Invisible Set

As in-ceiling speakers, these are excellent devices which can produce high quality sound. The speakers have a diameter of 10'', and each is 4.66'' deep. The short depth of the device can easily stick into the ceiling without hassle. Each piece also weighs 4.73 pounds each, so they are very easy to assemble. They also don't put much weight on the ceiling so you won't worry about them falling from above.

The package of the device comes with the two speakers, two speaker grilles, and a template or paint shield. The paint shield serves as a protector for the speaker if you want to paint the frame of the speakers in the same color as your ceiling. The perfectly rounded speakers can blend discreetly on the ceiling, and you can create the most beautiful sound out of it. If you've got visitors, you can brag about the excellent sound system that you have, and your visitors won't even know where they are coming from. These speakers save a lot of space and also produce great sound over the entire area of any room.

The only drawback that any buyer would find in this device is that it's extremely expensive. For the quality, you wouldn't mind much if it costs as much as it does, but for buyers who are tight with their budgets or who believe that there are devices which don't cost much but have great performance, then this is not a very suitable model for them.

Audio

This set of Bose ceiling speakers feature several trademark Bose qualities that can only be incorporated in Bose products. The Stereo Everywhere speaker performance feature is designed to produce a balanced stereo sound even over a wide area, unlike other conventional home speakers that only send sound in a single direction. Each speaker has a 7" woofer in the system which delivers deeper and smoother low notes for a more dramatic sound effect and extreme musical richness. Each speaker also has two strategically positioned tweeters which eliminate the need to position the speakers at an angle where you want to direct the sound. This allows the sound of the speakers to resonate all over the area, and not in a single direction only.

Other Features

This set of speakers is absolutely easy to assemble. The package comes with four clamp screws that perfectly match the speakers to easier fix them on the ceiling. It also has an infinite baffle design which needs no enclosure, since the ceiling itself becomes the enclosure of the speakers. However, the use of these speakers is limited only to drywall, plaster, or gypsum board ceilings. Installing them in drop ceilings is practically impossible, and they also aren't designed for in-wall construction because they are almost 5'' deep, which cannot fit in a standard wall depth of 4''.

Conclusion

This excellent set of Bose ceiling speakers is a perfect addition to your home entertainment system. If you want a set of speakers that can save a lot of home space, excellent music production, and high quality performance, the Virtually Invisible 791 In-Ceiling Speakers are what I highly recommend.

Bose Ceiling Speakers: A Review of the Virtually Invisible 791 In-Ceiling Speakers

I have even more reviews and information about Bose cube speakers and Bose ceiling speakers at my website. I will also let you in on a little secret: Where to get them cheaper than anyplace else on the web;) Many thanks for reading, and good luck!