The Government Inspector (Hatcher)
by Jeffrey Hatcher, Nikolai Gogol

Off-Broadway
The Government Inspector (Hatcher) Book Cover
The Government Inspector (Hatcher) Cover

Highlights

120 mins 19th Century Reduced Casting (Doubling Possible) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes Comedy

Synopsis

When the locals in a small Russian hamlet learn that an undercover government inspector is coming for a surprise visit, an unfortunate case of mistaken identity sends the whole village spiraling into a world of panic and greed.

Witty, smart and wildly satirical, this timely and spirited adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's classic play exposes the corruption of a provincial town with biting hilarity.

Press Reviews

"A comedy of galumphing, harrumphing hilarity. One part farce, one part slapstick, with a dash of musical theater, this naughty, frothy play is wholly entertaining. A clever, fearless script… the characters feel contemporary in a show where official ignorance and incompetence are compounded by corruption and hubris."

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A first-rate farce. Hatcher is an inspired choice to take a fresh run at this material, not least because his writing is so consistently deft and funny, swinging wildly in tone from one line to the next… a mountain of firecracker witticisms."

— CityPages

"Critic’s Pick! “Corruption, bribery, bottomless vanity, sexual predatoriness and incivility to all, excepting those more powerful than you — such are the ways of human nature in the muddy little backwater in which Gogol’s play is set. This Government Inspector, which uses a freewheeling but spiritually faithful adaptation by the American dramatist Jeffrey Hatcher, reminds us of the cathartic value of exaggerating the already grotesque."

— The New York Times

Characters

Character
Osip

His servant

Anton Antonovich

The mayor

Anna Andreyevna

His wife

Marya Antonovna

Their daughter

Grusha

Their maid

Judge
School Principal
Hospital Director
Postmaster
Dobchinsky
Bobchinsky
Doctor
Innkeeper’S Wife
Waitress
Svetsunov

Police chief

Constables
Abdullin
Pentelaeyev
Chernyaeyev
Corporal’S Widow
Locksmith’S Wife
Imperial Messenger
Ivan Alexandreyevich Hlestakov

Publication

ISBN-13 9780822223375
ISBN-10 0822223376

The Government Inspector (Hatcher) is a comedy play written by Jeffrey Hatcher and published by Dramatists Play Service .

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Rating

3.7

268 ratings · 512 reviews

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)

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