Theatre Review - The Government Inspector
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| Kiell Smith-Bynoe in The Government Inspector [Oliver King] |
PATRICK Myles transports Nikolai Gogol’s satirical comedy of errors to a provincial English town in the late 19th century.
The corrupt local officials mistake a dissolute government clerk, Percy Fopdoodle (Kiell Smith-Bynoe), outstaying his welcome at the local inn, for a high-ranking government inspector.
Keen to cover their tracks and avoid investigation, the town’s governor, Swashprattle (Dan Skinner), his wife (Martha Howe-Douglas) and various council members try their damnedest to charm this imposter with money, wine and entertainment.
Fopdoodle, who is only passing through with his valet, Fudgel (Daniel Millar), swiftly uses the situation to his advantage – requesting loans, accepting bribes, and gleefully exploiting the Swashprattles’ hospitality, while attempting to seduce their daughter (Chaya Gupta).
The Government Inspector satirises political incompetence, human greed, and an immoral ruling class.
Myles (who also directs) sets such a frenetic pace we sometimes miss what the characters are saying and the production tries too hard for laughs. By focussing on the buffoonery and slapstick humour, Myles neglects to draw out enough contemporary resonances and loses the bite of the original.
It’s a shame because the cast give their all, but Myles misses a trick by failing to lampoon corrupt and hypocritical figures closer to home. I can think of a few candidates.
To June 15