The only thing necessary for bad men to triumph is for good men to do nothing – the maxim goes something like that. Yet, in the provincial Russian town in which The Government Inspector is set, there are no good men. So, bad men triumph, bad men do nothing, and bad men suffer.
The audience fare best in all of this. The show is a delight to watch, consistent and insistent in its hilarity, and the performances are among the strongest on-stage in Birmingham so far this year.
The Government Inspector tells the story of a Mayor (a hilarious, magnetic David Carlyle) sent absolutely сумашедший by the apparent arrival of a government inspector, who may already be in town, living incognito. The Mayor, his family, and his various subordinates are at best inept, and at most abhorrent. The town has slipped into disrepair and disrepute under their guiding hands. Now they might have to pay penance. Unfortunately, they mistake insignificant St Petersburg clerk Khlestakov (Robin Morrissey, good at being noxious and charming simultaneously) for the inspector and things start to go awry.
The satire by Russian-Ukrainian Nikolai Gogol was written in 1835, over one hundred and eighty years ago. That it might seem contemporary is a laughable notion. Yet, it does. To avoid remarking on its political and social currency now would be difficult. Its themes are applicable, its characters recognisable, and its mockeries magnificent. This is the world that we know. In his adaptation David Harrower has only strengthened the material.
Inclusivity is the order of the night. The stage extends up to the front row. Two large curtains cut out portions of the stalls which are left empty, thus heightening the intimacy and eroding the fourth wall. Smart choice. The effects are double: a more profound consideration of the relevance of this play today is encouraged, because the audience is made to feel complicit; it also has a levelling quality. The cast invite the audience to be in on the joke.
The cast are great. Their camaraderie and the ease with which they move around/over/on top of/with one another gives the play an authentic feel. They bumble and buzz and are note-perfect. Singling out performances may seem a discredit to their fine ensemble work, but special praise has to be given to David Carlyle as the Mayor, his wife Anna (Kiruna Stamell – flawless), and their daughter Maria (an energetic, keen-eyed Francesca Mills).
I say that, but then I think of the Locksmith’s Wife (Rhona McKenzie), screeching blue murder from her wheelchair and being propelled off-stage, and of Bobchinsky (Stephen Collins) and Dobchinsky (Rachel Denning), and of Khlestakov’s extended shuttle-cock and bull stories. I also think of the scene between Khlestakov and the dishonourable judge, Lyapkin-Tyapkin (Jean St Clair), left alone when one knows no British Sign Language and the other only speaks using it. What follows is physical comedy at its best from both players.
The production comes from the Ramps On The Moon Company who intend to promote the mainstreaming of disability arts and culture. The cast includes both disabled and non-disabled performers. The sign language use, audio description and surtitling are made a part of the fabric of the piece, but never becomes bland or distracting. Every member of the cast signs at some point and comedy is drawn out of the disparities between the script and on-stage physicality. As above, the cast invite the audience to be in on the joke, every joke.
The Government Inspector really is a wonderful, innovative piece of theatre, and a raucous evening out. Roxana Silbert delivers another ground-breaking production. ★★★★★ Will Amott 24th March 2016
Photos by Robert Day
