The Government Inspector

by Nikolai Gogol

Overview

In this ever-topical satire of small-town corruption and cravenness, bumbling and inefficient town officials are thrown into a panic when they learn that a Government Inspector is coming, perhaps incognito. When a well-dressed rogue arrives, he quickly realizes he is presumed to be the Inspector and takes advantage of the officials' dinners, bribes, etc. When the officials realize their mistake-just after the rogue leaves-the real Inspector arrives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780413584700
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/24/2009
Series:	Modern Plays
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) won fame as a short story writer, and in 1836, his satirical comedy The Government Inspector created such a furore that Gogol left Russia to settle in Rome, in self-imposed exile. Religious mania in his later years contributed to his early death in Moscow.

Phil Porter is a multi-award-winning playwright and librettist. His work has been produced at Manchester Royal Exchange, Northampton Theatre Royal, The Unicorn Theatre and The Royal Opera House. His modern adaptations include Moliere's The Miser (West End, with Sean Foley), Middleton's A Mad World, My Masters (RSC, with Sean Foley), Shakespeare's The Tempest (RSC/Little Angel) and Janos Hay's The Stonewatcher (National Theatre).

Editorial Reviews

Two-and-a-half hours of sheer theatrical delight that is, if anything, even more relevant today - in this age of relentless municipal self-promotion and image-building - than it was when Gogol wrote it, more than 170 years ago.” —The Scotsman

From the Publisher