WELCOME TO Communicado Theatre Company
The Government Inspector
by Nicolai Gogol, translated by Adrian Mitchell.
Director: Gerry Mulgrew
Designer: Jessica Brettle
Lighting: Sergey Jakovsky
Musical Director: Aly MacRae
Cast includes: Andy Clark, Malcolm Shields, Gerda Stevenson, John Bett, Kirstin McLean, Cliff Burnett, Mark Prendergast, and Tim Licata
The Government Inspector is one of the world's most famous plays. Written in 1835, and set in Tsarist Russia, it is a classic satire on human vanity. By turns hilarious and vicious in its expose of corruption among those in power, this masterpiece seems made for the times we live in now...
The Governor is worried. All night he has dreamt of huge rats trying to devour him. Now, today, he has heard of a Government Inspector who is arriving imminently in the district. The town officials are called together and told to waste no time in cleaning up their act - shredding incriminating documents, issuing gagging orders, blacking out of the media - they all have to work together, and fast, to cover up the corruption that's been going on for years. Bribes, misdirected contracts, misallocation of public money, fiddled expenses, abuses of office. Panic. Sounds familiar? In the light of the banking corruption crisis and the scandal of MP's expenses, Gogol's play could not be more timely.
Communicado, in association with the Tron, presents this piece with all its well known brio and musical invention. A fast moving, black satirical comedy, with live music played by the company on electric balalaikas and mouth organs!
Communicado, Scotland's multi-award winning theatre company, draws on the rich traditions of world theatre to create powerful ensemble drama. The dynamic interplay of language, movement and music is the company's hallmark. Under artistic director Gerry Mulgrew, Communicado has originated many landmark productions, including Liz Lochhead's Mary Queen of Scots got her Head Chopped Off and Edwin Morgan's Cyrano de Bergerac. For 21 years, Communicado has created theatre of the highest calibre, playing its eclectic repertoire to a wide and loyal public. The company is dedicated to exploring the art of theatre in all its aspects, to challenging its artists to take risks, and to giving its audience a good time.
