Showing @ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 30 Mar

Nikolai Gogol’s seminal satire has entertained audiences for over 150 years and will continue to, as long as mankind continues to abuse his position of power – in whatever capacity. This new production of The Government Inspector, directed by Gerry Mulgrew and produced by Communicado Theatre Company and Aberystwyth Arts Centre, is a raucous, bold and colourful comedy that exposes the greed and desperation of those in power.

When penniless Khlestakov (Oliver Lavery) arrives in town, he is mistaken for a government inspector and so the governor and local businessmen work hard to cover up their misdeeds while Khlestakov takes full advantage of their so-called generosity. Set firmly in the 19th century, parallels are drawn with modern day through the content and language, which makes subtle and witty cultural references throughout. Musical interludes bookend each act as well as complimenting the scenes during them. The comedy is obvious, but the tragedy less so: none of the characters show redeeming qualities and the dog-eat-dog attitudes are encouraged to perpetuate. In the last few years, we were outraged by the expenses scandal and the thought of politicians taking advantage of the political system but figure fudging is nothing new. Old habits die hard indeed.

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