The Government Inspector is coming to Perth

Mar 11 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

DUBIOUS political dealings, a rioting populace, mishandled money, panic – sound familiar?

Fiction mirrors real life – albeit in a different time zone – when the exclusive revival brings The Government Inspector to Perth Theatre from next Thursday until Saturday, April 2.

This acclaimed, award-winning production from 2010 comes to the Fair City through a collaboration between Scotland’s trailblazing theatre company Communicado and Perth Theatre.

Communicado’s Gerry Mulgrew takes on the central role as well as directing this adaptation by Adrian Mitchell of Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 comedy.

It’s the story of a penniless nobody from the big city arrives in a small town, where he is mistaken for the all-powerful government inspector by its corrupt and self-serving officials.

Communicado’s production promises a fast-paced, raucously entertaining black comedy which won the 2009-2010 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland for Best Use of Music and Sound.

Life is never dull if Gerry is in the room, and for The Government Inspector he has mustered an excellent cast and live Balkan-fused music.

Last in Perth with his hugely popular adaptation of Tam O’Shanter, Gerry promises that this feisty adaptation of The Government Inspector will be packed with Communicado’s trademark energy, visual flair and invention.

The terrific ‘Inspector’ ensemble includes Cliff Burnett (he and Gerry were in Dundee Rep’s Peer Gynt), Gerda Stevenson, and musician/actor Aly MacRae.

Gerry said of the revival: “We are extremely pleased to be able to revive The Government Inspector in a co-production with Perth Theatre.

“This continues a very fruitful relationship with the theatre and with Perth audiences, which have included co-productions of The Memorandum and Fergus Lamont as well as the Perth commission to stage a version of Tam O’Shanter, which played with great success in 2009.

“The Government Inspector is great fun to do. There are nine or 10 people in it which for these days is considered to be a gigantic company.

“It was written when a production could have an unlimited number of people on stage. In these austere times we’ve had to trim it down but we’ve not compromised on quality!”

Gogol’s comedy of errors, satirising human greed, stupidity, and the extensive political corruption of Imperial Russia, has undergone numerous adaptations over 175 years, including a 1949 Hollywood musical comedy version starring Danny Kaye, and a 1958 live TV version with Tony Hancock. Even the Fawlty Towers episode, The Hotel Inspector, can be seen to have borrowed inspiration from the original play.

Communicado’s version is an adaptation by Adrian Mitchell with a bit of tinkering to adapt it for a smaller cast.

“It’s a play which is never out of date unfortunately, because human nature does not change,” added Gerry.

“When we started the revival last year it was in the middle of the MPs’ expenses scandal, and we had to resist the temptation to put anything in about moats and duck houses!”

Abuses of office, shaky coalitions and broken promises – 21st century-style – can be explored and enjoyed at Perth Theatre from next Thursday until Saturday, April 2.