The Government Inspector
Performances: Betchworth Village Hall 11-14th May 2022
Director: Diane Mayall
First staged in 1836, The Government Inspector is a play set in Russia, written by Ukrainian-born Nikolai Gogol, but its themes are timeless and without geographical boundaries. Over nearly 200 years there have been numerous adaptations and interpretations, and the story even inspired an episode of Fawlty Towers ! Alistair Beaton’s hilarious translation brilliantly captures the dazzling blend of preposterous characters in their all too real situations.
In a small far flung back of nowhere town corruption is rife, with the mayor and his cronies filling their pockets at the expense of the downtrodden citizens but their comfortable situation is thrown into chaos and panic when word comes of an imminent visit by a government inspector ‘travelling incognito’. A classic case of mistaken identity ensues and the hapless officials fall victim to their own stupidity and greed.
Cast
Mayor | Roger Nelson |
Magistrate - Lyapkin-Tyapkin | Amy Mager |
Commisioner for Health - Zyemlyanika | Gerald Hulf |
Director of Education - Khlopov | David Ames |
Postmaster - Shpyopkin | Lucy Hamilton |
Doctor Hubner - Physician | Ian Stone |
Bobchinsky - Landowner | Stephen Tickell |
Dobchinsky - Landowner | Tracey Hulf |
Police Constable | Linda Peckham |
Police Superintendent | Jane Khan |
Anna - Mayor's wife | Linda Slater |
Marya - Mayor's daughter | Vicki Hodges |
Avdotya | Lucy Hamilton |
Osip | Ian Stone |
Khlestakov - a minor civil servant | Neil Mayall |
Waiter | David Eccles |
Mishka | John Mole |
Abdulin - Shopkeeper | Diane Mayall |
Shopkeepers | Linda Peckham, David Eccles |
Locksmith's Wife | Jane Khan |
Widow | Julie Bickerdike |
Khlopov's Wife | Julie Bickerdike |
Magistrate's Wife | Linda Peckham |
Korobkin | Julian Edney |
Rastakovsky | John Mole |
Gendarme | David Eccles |
Crew
Lighting | David Ames, Lee Upton |
Sound | Amy Mager |
Set Construction | Julian Edney, Gerald Hulf, Tracey Hulf, Neil Mayall, Stephen Tickell, Neil Williams |
Publicity | Stephen Tickell |
Programme | Lucy Hamilton |
Rehearsal Photos