Gogol's Government Inspector

 

The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Government Inspector, staged at the Lansburgh Theatre in DC and directed by Michael Kahn, could be compared to an overexcited German Shepard. It jumps up and licks your face in such a lovable way that, even though your first feeling might be discomfort at its over-the-top style, you quickly start laughing along with it.

The play (a farce) is set in a small town in the Russian provinces. When news is received that “a Government Inspector is on his way from the capital,” the corrupt government quickly descends into chaos. The town suspects that a visitor who recently arrived from St. Petersburg (masterfully played by Derek Smith) is the inspector incognito. The community leaders (played by such great actors as Floyd King and Rick Foucheux) proceed to put together funds to bribe the suspected inspector in order to attain a favorable review of their town. But the man they assume is the inspector is in reality just a broke clerk from St. Petersburg with a habit of drinking and gambling. He has no problem “borrowing” their money at all; in fact, he believes they give him money because he is so handsome. Soon, he has tricked the town into supporting him in other dastardly funny ways.

One of the most striking features of the play is how it resonates with modern views of politics. The play, originally written by Nikolai Gogol in the early 19th century and elegantly adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, feels almost contemporary. Hatcher creates a script which brings Gogol’s issue of government corruption into modern light. He pokes fun at government practices from education to the postal service to construction contractors. These jokes usually make reference to current American news topics. Perhaps surprisingly, Hatcher made a choice to follow Gogol’s original jokes about the inability of healthcare to provide cure rather than lampoon more contemporary politics of “Obamacare.”

Characters wear costumes designed by Murell Horton, ranging from a hot-pink ball gown to matching loud green-tweed suits to the mayor’s military uniform (who, as one character remarks, looks just like “an old door-man” with too many tassels and too much regalia). The ridiculous costumes fit in perfectly with the madcap comedy going on the stage. In fact, sometimes the extravagant costuming sets the scene for and allows the increasingly immoderate jokes not to fall flat and instead glean uproarious laughter from the audience.

The Government Inspector isn’t just comedy, though. At first, the costuming prevents us recognizing how similar the characters are to ourselves as modern people. Near the end of the play, after we discover who the real inspector is (and see consequences falling upon the town), the mayor looks out at the audience and utters a powerful line: “Those who laugh the most will be laughing at themselves!” This statement changes things, inspiring a down-right uncomfortable feeling in audience members about how we treat others, both as individuals and as societies. The play is certainly not a tragedy, but it is also not just silliness. It makes a satirical critique of many aspects of modern society, from bureaucracy to vanity. STC’s production provoked more thought about human nature and politics than about the plot.

Whether you are a seasoned theater goer or a government bureaucrat (like my father, who loved the play), I highly recommend you go see The Government Inspector.