Product Description

This is the poet and playwright Adrian Mitchell's version of Gogol's classic satire on human vanity with its story of a penniless nobody from Moscow who is mistaken for a government inspector by the corrupt and self-seeking officials of a small town in Tsarist Russia."The greatest artist that Russia has yet produced" Vladimir Nabokov

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122082 in Books
• Published on: 1985-03-14
• Original language: Russian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

Mitchell breathes new life into Gogol's classic
Adrian Mitchell's lively and sharp adaptation of Gogol's classic play is surely one of the best around. Many versions of this wonderful play are terribly dusty and academic, and have been written to be studied rather than enjoyed or performed. They also risk weakening the plays satirical blow by removing the action from Tsarist Russia. The Government Inspector is at it's most powerful as a piece of theatre when it remains true to the spirit and humour of the original. Adrian Mitchell uses modernised language to give the play a sharper edge, without losing the stairical bite of Gogol's original. So if you are looking for a good translation to perform, or a version accesible to a younger age group - this is the one.

A Little Grease For The Palms
I'd love to see the play. I had to play the characters in my head complete with my own invented facial expressions. A brief synopsis: A town's chief officials learn that a government inspector is in town. Worried that he is about to discover their mismanagement of affairs they set about trying to bribe him so he gives a favourable report back in St. Petersburg. Well from there the story descends into farce as the townsfolk outdo each other trying to get the inspector's ear. The best part is at the end - terribly funny if you can act it all out in your head.

A funny play with larger than life characters
I am currently playing Khlestakov in a production of The Goverment Inspector at The Questors Theatre in Ealing. The comedy potential for this play is huge and action on stage is very busy. All the characters are complex charicatures but a lot of fun to play and some of the parts are very challenging but nevertheless, a lot of fun. This is the play that, because of its political content, forced Gogols exile from Russia, but it has delighted many audiences with its farcical goings on remains a popular and entertaining production. In short, a delightful and very funny play indeed!