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Cover of Inspector-General

Inspector-General

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

Length
3 h 30 min
Chapters
7
Language
English
Genre
Satire
First published
1916

The Governor and Officials of a small provincial town in Russia are worried. They have received word that a Government Inspector is on his way. As they do what they can to cover up their own corruption and incompetence, a man arrives at the Inn and refuses to pay for his meals. Surely such an audacious act can only be the work of the dreaded Inspector!

Meanwhile Khlestakov, a common copying clerk from St. Petersburg who has lost all his money at cards, is attempting to bluff and bully the landlord of the Inn he is staying at into giving him one more free meal. He is scared and confused when the Governor comes to confront him, but his tendency to tell fantastic lies and brag about his imaginary illustrious friends turns the situation to his advantage.

This blistering satire by Gogol looks at the way greed and corruption make fools of ordinary men, and ordinary fools into even greater fools. Both funny and adroit, this is a sadly accurate portrayal of small-town (and large-city) politics the world over.

Lamentably this play contains some instances of anti-Semitism. (Summary by Lucy Perry)

Cast list:

Stage Directions: Lucy Perry

Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, the Governor: ToddHW

Anna Andreyevna, his wife: Maria Kasper

Marya Antonovna, his daughter: Tara Flynn

Luka Lukich Khlopov, the Inspector of Schools: Nick Bulka

His Wife: ImkeStevens

Ammos Fiodorovich Liapkin-Tiapkin, the Judge: EccentricOwl

Artemy Filippovich Zemlianika, the Superintendent of Charities: P. J. Morgan

Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, the Postmaster: Ray Kasper

Piotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky, Country Squire: Simon Smoke

Piotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky, Country Squire: Peter Tucker

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, an official from St. Petersburg: Seamus Dobbin

Osip, his servant: Algy Pug

Fiodr Andreyevich Liuliukov, ex-official, esteemed personage of the town: Betsy Cooley

Ivan Lazarevich Rastakovsky, ex-official, esteemed personage of the town: Wojtek Murawski

Stepan Ivanovich Korobkin, ex-official, esteemed personage of the town: BeniaminoMassimo

His Wife: Availle

Stepan Ilyich Ukhovertov, the Police Captain: David Olson

Svistunov, a Police Sergeant: Rosslyn Carlyle

Derzhimorda, a Police Sergeant: Vanessa Cooley

Abdulin, a merchant: bala

Feveronya Petrovna Poshliopkina, the Locksmith's wife: Maryanka

Mishka, the Governor's Servant: Etel Buss

The Widow of a non-commissioned Officer: Anna Simon

Servant at the Inn: Elizabeth Klett

A Second Merchant: Mary Kay

A Postilion: Availle

A Gendarme: Elizabeth Klett

Edited by: Lucy Perry

Chapters

From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org), the text (opens gutenberg.org), all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org).