Satirical take on politics passes strict inspection
IT’S standing room only at the Playhouse on Storforth Lane this week: not a seat to be had for Hasland Theatre Company’s winter production of The Government Inspector, a Russian satire on local politics.
Corruption in high places is nothing new, and author Nikolai Gogol clearly thought it was something to poke fun at in 19th century Russia. His acerbic comedy picks up the theme and runs with it; everyone is keen to curry favour or dish the dirt, and it ends with a distinct sense of chickens coming home to roost.
Assembling the casting of 30 must have been quite a task; many of the faces on stage are less than familiar, though a lot of the regulars are there too.
Among others, David Brooks is the fawning, pompous local governor with an unpronounceable name and a social-climbing wife and daughter (Ann Hawkswood and Alicia Shore).
Heather Davies and Becky Parry are a comic double act as a pair of town gossips with a neat line in raunchy dancing to cover a big scene change.
And the ‘inspector’ himself – or not, as the case may be – is the excellent Steve Cowley, who is proving quite a find for HTC. Master of comic timing Rob Dean is his equally conniving servant with an eye for the ladies and to the main chance.
Add in some interesting sound and lighting effects, and the sum total is an entertaining evening with plenty of fun for the cast and laughs for the audience.
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