The Government Inspector

Reviewed: August 6, 2017

The Government Inspector is playing at the New World Stages located at 340 West 50th Street. It runs two hours with one intermission. The play closes August 20, 2017.

Jeffery Hatcher did the adaptation of the play by Nikolai Gogol. It was originally written in 1836 and revised in 1842.

Mary Testa was nominated for a Tony Award for Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town (1998) and 42nd Street (2001).

Michael McGrath won a Tony Award for Nice Work If You can Get It (2012) and was nominated for A Tony Award for Spamalot (2005).

The play takes place in a provincial Russian town in 1836.

There six set of characters Out of Towner, The Mayors‘s Household, Town Official’s, Local Landowners, Merchants and Peasants and Servants and others.

The basis of the story is a rumor is circulating that a government inspector is coming to town.

The Mayor Anton (Michael McGrath) has The Judge (Tom Alan Robbins), The School Principal (William Youmans), The Hospital Director (Stephen Derosa), The Doctor (James Rana), The Postmaster (Arnie Burton) and The Police Chief, Svetsunov (Louis Moreno) at his office. They are in an uproar on what will happen when the government inspector comes. Of course they are all crooks. Money that was designated for different projects in the town was not being used properly.

The Postmaster comes in announcing the rumor. The Mayor questions him on how he got the information. He admits that he reads everyone’s mail. The letter came from the Mayor’s brother in law. It came a month ago and he is just delivering it now.

In another part of town Ivan Alexandreyevich Hlestakov(Michael Urie) and his servant Osip (Arnie Burton) are staying at a Inn. Ivan has spent all the money he had on booze, gambling, food and sex. He hasn’t paid his bill and cannot get any food because of it.

Someone in town thinks Ivan is the government inspector. Everyone bends over backwards toward him, especially giving him money.

The Mayor invites him over to his house to join a party he is having. The Mayor’s wife Anna (Mary Testa) and his daughter Marya (Talene Monahan) are at the party. The Mayor gets him drunk hopping he will spill the beans!

One thing leads to another in this hilarious play.

There are two levels to the stage. The top is the Mayor’s house. The lower level to the right is the Mayor’s office and the left Ivan’s room at the Inn.

The cast is marvelous, some doing several roles. Michael Urie, Michael McGrath and Mary Testa shine in their roles. Arnie Burton in the two roles he does, is fantastic. He does not lose a beat.

There are only two weeks left to see this funny play. Don’t miss a chance to see it. I am glad I didn’t. I don’t want to spoil anything but you will have a good laugh.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for recent photos Click on a photo, then click back to album and finally click back to gallery for this and other shows.