About the Play:

The Government Inspector is a full-length comedy adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original by Nikolai Gogol. All politics are local. What happens when a rumour spreads that a Government Inspector is arriving undercover in a small Russian town? No one knows who it is so the citizens spiral into a panic of corruption and greed to impress a visitor newly arrived. Is he the Inspector or is he not? This spirited and uproarious adaptation of Gogol's original is witty and satirical with a contemporary feel.

The Government Inspector is searing and bitingly hilarious political satire based on Nikolai Gogol's comic masterpiece. A small Russian hamlet receives a warning that a Government Inspector is en route in disguise to investigate the happenings of the community. Panic, greed, and bribery follow when the locals try to identify the mysterious newcomer staying at the local hotel. Countless people in town shower the well-dressed guest with promises, gifts, and even offers of romantic dalliance to ensure a glowing review. But is this the man they assumed he was? He is able to swindle the town residents and politicians who want him to keep their own corruption quiet. Witty, smart and wildly satirical, this timely and spirited adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's classic play offers a hilarious reminder of the terrifying timelessness of bureaucracy and buffoonery.

The Government Inspector in a new adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher premiered in 2008 at the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The play is regularly performed in regional, high school, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 7 female, 10 male (doubling)

What people say:

"…a comedy of galumphing, harrumphing hilarity. One part farce, one part slapstick, with a dash of musical theater, this naughty, frothy play is wholly entertaining… [A] clever, fearless script… [The] characters feel contemporary in a show where official ignorance and incompetence are compounded by corruption and hubris." — Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A first-rate farce… Hatcher is an inspired choice to take a fresh run at this material, not least because his writing is so consistently deft and funny, swinging wildly in tone from one line to the next… a mountain of firecracker witticisms." — CityPages.com

About the Playwright:

Jeffrey Hatcher is an award-winning American writer for stage, screen, and television. He grew up in Ohio before attending New York University to study acting. After a brief career on stage, he turned his attention to writing. His many award-winning plays, original and adaptations, have been performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in theatres around the world.