Don't blame the mirror if your face is askew.

One of the most famous comedies in world theatre, Gogol's masterpiece has lost none of its bite.

In a small town corruption is rife, and the Mayor and his cronies have got it made. So when they learn they are going to be subject to an undercover government inspection they panic. Mistaking a penniless nobody for the inspector they swiftly fall victim to their own stupidity and greed.

This adaptation by Phil Porter was published to coincide with the premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in April 2025

Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) won fame as a short story writer, and in 1836, his satirical comedy The Government Inspector created such a furore that Gogol left Russia to settle in Rome, in self-imposed exile. Religious mania in his later years contributed to his early death in Moscow.

Phil Porter is a multi-award-winning playwright and librettist. His work has been produced at Manchester Royal Exchange, Northampton Theatre Royal, The Unicorn Theatre and The Royal Opera House. His modern adaptations include Moliere’s The Miser (West End, with Sean Foley), Middleton’s A Mad World, My Masters (RSC, with Sean Foley), Shakespeare’s The Tempest (RSC/Little Angel) and Janos Hay’s The Stonewatcher (National Theatre).