Even though J.B. Priestley’s “An Inspector Calls” is set in Brumley, England, in 1912, it could just as easily be set in the United States in 2014.

Its condemnation of an elitist attitude that disregards the needs of the less privileged is as relevant today as it was then. Stanford Repertory Theater (formerly Stanford Summer Theater) makes that point clear in its excellent production directed by Rush Rehm.

Priestley’s original, written in the winter of 1944-45, near the end of World War II, was in three acts and ran for more than two hours. Rehm apparently is using the streamlined, 90-minute Royal National Theatre adaptation by director Stephen Daldry, which won four 1994 Tony Awards and came to San Francisco in 1996.

The action takes place in the drawing room of the wealthy Birling family. They’re celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila (Kiki Bagger) to Gerald Croft (Ethan Wilcox). His father’s firm is the chief rival to Sheila’s father’s firm. Her father, the socially and financially ambitious Arthur (James Carpenter), foresees a successful business alliance in their romantic relationship.

Joining the celebration are Sheila’s mother, Sybil (Courtney Walsh), and brother, Eric (Andre Amarotico).

Their evening is interrupted by the arrival of Inspector Goole (Weston Gaylord) of the Brumley police. He says that a young woman has committed suicide by swallowing disinfectant, leading to an agonizing death.

Their reaction, although horrified, amounts to “So what? This has nothing to do with us.” Inspector Goole disagrees, and proceeds to show how actions by each person led to her final desperate act.

Her downfall started two years earlier when she was working in Arthur’s factory. He fired her because she led a campaign to raise his workers’ wages. He said that if he paid his workers more, his profits would drop.

Later, she was working in a fashionable women’s clothing store when Sheila demanded that she be fired because of a perceived impertinence. When Gerald and then Eric met her, she was desperately poor. Each man helped her for a bit, but Gerald abandoned her, and she broke off with Eric. Finally, she went to a committee that helps poor women, but her request was refused by Sybil, the committee head.

Hence, they see how each one bore some responsibility for the woman’s fate. Shortly thereafter, however, they suspect that what Goole has told them isn’t true and that he isn’t who he says he is.

The elder Birlings and Gerald are relieved and readily resume their elitist attitudes. However, Sheila and Eric seem transformed by their feelings of guilt. The audience is left to ponder who Goole (rhymes with ghoul) really is and why he arrived that evening.

As is true with Stanford Rep’s summer productions, this one features both seasoned, professional actors alongside students. The professionals here are Carpenter and Walsh, who so ably portray the parents and their sense of privilege. The students do an excellent job of bringing out the nuances of their characters. The cast is completed by another student, Jenna Wisch, as the Birlings’ maid.

Production values are high with period costumes by Connie Strayer and lighting by Dan Wadleigh. Erik Flatmo’s dining room set features an ample dining table, sideboard and grandfather clock, which shows the correct time.

In today’s terms, one might say that the people in the Birlings’ dining room represent the 1 percent. Therefore, it’s appropriate that this production is a part of the Ethics of Wealth series presented by Stanford’s Ethics in Society program.

It’s both theatrically rewarding and intellectually intriguing.

“An Inspector Calls” will continue in Piggott Theater (Memorial Auditorium), 551 Serra Mall, Stanford, through May 24. For tickets and information, call (650) 725-5838 or visit http://taps.stanford.edu/

In an intricately constructed 90 minutes spanning five generations and several decades, San Jose Repertory Theater is staging “The Big Meal” by Dan LeFranc.

All of the action takes place in a restaurant — not necessarily the same one over the years — where the story begins with the meeting of Sam, a customer, and Nicole. After some ups and downs, they marry, have kids, grandkids and even a great grandchild. Along the way there are marriages, deaths, spats, humor and an underlying sense of caring.

The action is propelled by four pairs of actors: two children, two young adults, two middle-aged adults and two senior citizens. Youngsters Sophia Grace Cuthbert and Nicolas Garcia play all of the children’s roles. The adults portray Sam and Nicole at various stages in their lives.

When first seen, Sam and Nicole are played by Aaron Wilton and Jessica Lynn Carroll. As their characters mature, they’re replaced by Carrie Paff and Mark Anderson Phillips. Finally, Catherine MacNeal and Richard Farrell, who are first seen as Sam’s parents, become Sam and Nicole. Along the way, the actors portray other characters. For example, Wilton and Carroll, the young adults, become Sam and Nicole’s young adult children, Robbie and Maddie.

As the play continues, it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with everyone. A family tree in the program would help.

Director Kirsten Brandt moves the action briskly. For example, an actor might exit as one character and immediately return as another. Before a character dies, he or she eats one last meal (brought by an uncredited stage hand), then quietly exits.

In one of the final scenes, Sam and Nicole (MacNeal and Farrell), are elderly. Because Sam has dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, Nicki lovingly feeds him before he exits. It’s a moving moment.

Nina Ball’s set features diner-style tables downstage with several booths upstage, backed by a set of doors and several windows that enable to audience to see a character’s final exit. The effective lighting is by Kurt Landisman, with unobtrusive sound by Jeff Mockus. Costumes by Shannon Sigman easily span the decades.

All of the actors in this ensemble work are excellent. The play itself reflects the changes in family dynamics that take place over time. No doubt some in the audience might recognize scenes from their own families.

“The Big Meal” will continue at San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, through June 1. For tickets and information, call (408) 367-7255 or visit www.sjrep.com.

Leaving her post after 16 years, Hillbarn Theatre artistic director Lee Foster has made “The Color Purple” her swan song with the Foster City company.

It’s an ambitious undertaking with a 23-member, mostly black cast telling a story that spans nearly 40 years (1909 to 1945) in the life of a black woman in the South.

That woman, Celie (Leslie Ivy), is first seen as a 14-year-old impregnated for the second time by Pa (Andy Serrano), the man she believes to be her father. After the baby is born, Pa says he’ll get rid of it, just as he did the other child, much to Celie’s distress.

A neighboring farmer Mr. ____ (Anthone D. Jackson), calls on Pa hoping to marry Celie’s beloved younger sister, Nettie (Jacqueline Dennis), but winds up with Celie instead. After staving off advances by both Pa and Mr. ____, Nettie leaves, again to Celie’s distress.

Celie’s life with Mr. ____ is just as miserable as it was with Pa. She’s nothing more than a servant whom he mistreats and abuses. However, her fortunes begin to change when Shug Avery (Dawn L. Troupe), a popular singer and Mr.’s ____ longtime lover, moves in with them and sings at the juke joint owned by his son Harpo (Brian M. Landry).

Eventually Celie breaks away from Mr. ____, learns about real love thanks to Shug, gains self-respect and becomes a successful business woman, first in Memphis and then back in her hometown of Eatonton, Ga.

The story unfolds episodically, but the set by Kuo-Hao Lo (lighting by Don Coluzzi) accommodates quick scene changes. Costumes by Margaret Toomey help to define changing times.

Besides those already mentioned, the other major character is Harpo’s wife, Sofia (Jihan Sabir), a strong-willed woman who refuses to be subservient to anyone, a trait that proves costly.

Three Church Ladies, played by Ladidi Garba, Debra Harvey and Pam Drummer-Williams, serve as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action. Others in the cast play a variety of characters.

Overall, the performance level is quite high by everyone, especially the principals. Choreography by Jayne Zaban is outstanding, especially in the juke joint scene, “Push Da Button.” The men’s dancing is especially notable.

The singing is generally quite good under the leadership of musical director Greg Sudmeier, who is Foster’s husband and who also is leaving the company. Much of the musical accompaniment is recordings from Right On Cue Services.

However, the lyrics are often difficult to follow because of diction and the Southern black dialect. Compounding the comprehension problem is Alan Chang’s sound design, which is so loud that it distorts the lyrics.

“The Color Purple” began life as a 1982 novel by Alice Walker of San Francisco. From there it became the 1985 film that helped launch the career of Oprah Winfrey, who played Sofia. She subsequently became one of the producers bringing the story to the Broadway musical stage in 2005. The national tour came to San Francisco in 2007.

Marsha Norman adapted the musical from Walker’s book. The music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray encompass several styles such as gospel, blues, honky-tonk and ragtime.

The two-act production at Hillbarn clocks in at nearly three hours, in part due to long restroom lines at intermission but in larger part due to the show itself. Despite the many years that it covers, some scenes seem expendable, especially in the second act. It opens with two long scenes from Africa, where Nettie has become a missionary who has Celie’s children with her. Only the first scene, which has some terrific dancing, works well. Another expendable scene is “Is There Anything I Can Do for You?” a duet for Harpo and Sofia. It’s well done but doesn’t do much to advance the story, especially since the adaptation is a bit short on developing some characters and clarifying some plot details.

Despite shortcomings in the show itself, this production serves it well, thanks in large part to a talented, energetic, committed cast and Foster’s astute direction.

“The Color Purple” will continue at Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, through June 1. For tickets and information, call (650) 349-6411 or visit www.hillbarntheatre.org.