The Government Inspector at Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center

Written in 1836, the play's satirical take on corrupt government is pertinent still today. Gogol pokes fun at the political corruption of Imperial Russia through the figure of a small-town governor. The governor, who happily accepts all sorts of bribes, from fabric to puppies, goes into a panic when word gets to him that an inspector from St. Petersburg is coming to report on his administration. The town immediately assumes that a young male holed up in the inn is the inspector and everyone sets to work impressing and bribing him. However, when the ersatz inspector is wined and dined, his confusion grows--and he decides to turn the tables on the corrupt town, leading to mistaken identity and farcical implications.

Authors

• Nikolai Vassilievitch Gogol