The Government Inspector / Shakespeare Theatre Company
Hi all,
I’m back again, this time to talk about The Government
Inspector at Shakespeare Theatre.
(Full Disclosure: I have previously worked in the STC
Education department.)
So, in a nutshell: the show is fine. Just fine. Not great, not bad.
Just functional.
To expand on that a bit….
The Government Inspector
is STC's first production of a Russian play. It is a comedy by Nikolai Gogol (here adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher) about a small, thoroughly corrupt, backwater town in the Russian
provinces. The locals
receive notice that a government official will be arriving to inspect their
town. Knowing how badly
things are the run, the mayor, the judge, the hospital administrator, the
school principal, and some landowners quickly try to make some cosmetic changes
to make it seem as if everything is well-run. They
also decide that they must charm, and, if he is willing, bribe the government
inspector into giving them a good review.
By chance, a low-level government official, Hlestakov, is staying at the
local inn and is mistaken by the townspeople for the inspector. He is a spendthrift gambler who is
deeply in debt. He is confused at
first by the townspeople’s attention, but soon plays along, trying to get all
that he can from them.
One of the great things about Shakespeare Theatre’s
production of The Government Inspector is that it gathers a lot of wonderful DC actors, including Sarah Marshall, Floyd King, and Nancy Robinette, in one place.
The most frustrating thing about it was that it felt like the majority of these great actors were working very much within their comfort
zones and that the director didn’t add anything to the production. STC previously performed the play in a
staged reading format, with many of the same actors, as part of their
ReDiscovery series. I can imagine
the stage reading being about the same as the production. It doesn’t felt like anything was
discovered in the rehearsal process.
It is just funny actors effectively delivering Jeffrey Hatcher / Gogol’s
lines. There isn’t much energy
among them, the acting choices (mostly) don’t match the oversized and
outrageous costumes, there is little added physical comedy, and there is little
interaction with the set and props.
One notable and funny exception to that last bit is actor
Harry Winter playing Dobchinsky. At one point, the townspeople are gossiping about Hlestakov behind his back. In
a classic bit, as Hlestakov is about to re-enter the room, someone calls out to act naturally and, of course, they all run and do
various un-natural things. Dobchinsky runs
to a nearby table with a small jar with a lid on it and starts rhythmically opening
and shutting it the lid. It is the tiniest
bit of business, but more unexpected and specific choices like that would have helped to round out and add some texture to the show.
Also, the townspeople tend to blend
together. The only ones with sharp
outlines are Floyd King as the Postmaster and the Claire Brownell as the
Mayor’s Daughter, Marya. It’s not
that you get confused about who is who with everyone else, but it
is just that they don’t have any defining characteristics. It is if the Postmaster and Marya are
sharply outlined in pen and ink, precise and defined, while everyone else is in
watercolor.
Again, overall, nothing about the production is bad by any means. But, it seems as if there were missed
opportunities.
To be fair: I might truly be in the minority here. Eavesdropping on people leaving the
theatre, the overwhelming vibe of the chatter was positive. “That was so
funny.” “The actors were so
committed.” So, judge for yourself and let me know what you thought in the comments.
STC – Lansburgh Theatre
450 7th Street NW
Runs through October 28
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