The Government Inspector
by Nikolai Gogol
Adapted by
Philip Goulding
Philip Goulding was awarded an Arts Council of England Theatre Writing bursary in 1995. His stage plays include Beneath The Waves (Eastern Angles/Colchester Mercury 1993), Then He Kissed Me (Royal Theatre Northampton 1993, Courtyard London/ Soho Theatre Co 1996), kid (Eastern Angles/Colchester Mercury 1994), Different Animal (Hen & Chickens London 1995), Went Down To The Crossroads (Courtyard London 1997), Waiting For Elvis (New Perspectives 1998), Tall Tales from the WeirdWideWorld (Forest Forge 1999) and Heading West (Forest Forge 2000). He has written adaptations of Beauty & the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, The Pied Piper and Hansel & Gretel (Forest Forge 1995, '96, '97 & '99), Toad of Toad Hall (Forest Forge 1998, New Perspectives 1999), The Government Inspector (Forest Forge/Salisbury Playhouse 1997, Watermill Theatre, Newbury 1998), The Titfield Thunderbolt (New Perspectives 1997) and The Mayor of Casterbridge (Forest Forge/Salisbury Playhouse 1998). He was joint first prize winner in the 1988 Radio Times TV Drama Awards and his television play Keeper was screened on Channel 4 in 1990. His radio plays A Fat Man Eats The Moon and The Dilemma have been broadcast on RTE (Dublin).
Synopsis
The Government Inspector is a hilarious comedy about mistaken identity and council corruption in a small town. The premise is simple. A corrupt Mayor and his officials are alarmed to hear rumours of the impending arrival of a government inspector. Evidently this fellow will be travelling "incognito". Thrown into a panic, the Mayor and his officials desperately struggle to stifle public dissatisfaction whilst deflecting the blame for their many and various misdemeanours onto each other. But who is the government inspector and where is he hiding? He could of course be anyone.
It is brought to their notice that an apparently penniless rake and his servant happen to be staying at the local inn. Despite the fact that they are unable to pay their bill, this unlikely couple suddenly find themselves being treated like royalty by the sycophantic mayor and his cronies. "The Government Inspector" eventually rides away a good deal richer, having sampled for free the best hospitality the small town could muster, including not just the finest food and drink, but also the feverishly competitive adoration of both the Mayor's forceful wife, and his seemingly impressionable daughter. The truth of their dreadful mistake is finally revealed to the town, and just as the humiliated Mayor strives to apportion blame in order to restore some semblance of credibility, the arrival of the real inspector is announced, to the collective dismay of the assembled dignitaries.
This version takes place in the 1860s in a small English town. View extract.
Cast
Minimum 4 male, 3 female
Duration
120 minutes
Contact
Philip Goulding
c/o Eric Glass Ltd
28 Berkeley Square
London
W1X 6HD
UK