Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
The Government Inspector
'Ревизор
The life of Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809–1852), the author of one of the greatest comedies, was full of exciting and tragic events. Gogol is difficult to define, and defies academic classification, particularly the label that he was a realist. Vladimir Nabokov said that Gogol’s muse was absurdity, while the philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev argued: "… he is not a realist, nor is he a satirist, as used to be thought. He is a writer of fantasies that depicted not real people but elemental evil
spirits, and above all the spirit of falsehood in whose power Russia lay … There was a strong sense of evil in Gogol and this feeling of his was certainly not exclusively due to the evil of public life, of the Russian political regime; it was something deeper.”
Gogol did not devote himself to ideologies and politics or join revolutionaries; in his search for himself he withdrew into religious mysticism and was pronounced mad because he thought that there was a divine plan in everything he did. In The Government Inspector (1835) he used laughter to fight the evil, personified by the corrupt, stupid and squabbling government officials of a provincial town. It is hardly surprising that when the play was first staged it led to great outcry and
criticism, because "half of the viewers are those who take, while half of them are those who give”. The fear of auditing our own lives is too great, the mirrors reflect beautiful masks, while what is under them … "Don’t blame the mirror for your ugly face!”
The Government Inspector, the first première of the new season, directed by the new artistic director of Drama SNG Maribor, Diego de Brea, has already been staged four times in this theatre, most recently 63 year ago. After 178 years, Gogol’s stinging commentary is even more effective: "the little sins” of corruption, debauchery, taking, embellishing, lying, and corrupting data have become commonplace behaviour of our provincial and urban sheriffs. The only possible response is laughter and
the bitter realisation that all is quiet on the Western (and Eastern) front.
Cast
ANTON ANTONOVICH SKVOZNIK-DMUKHANOVSKY, the Governor - Vlado NovakANNA ANDREYEVNA, his wife - Nataša Matjašec Rošker
MARYA ANTONOVNA, his daughter - Eva Kraš
LUKA LUKICH KHLOPOV, the Inspector of Schools - Kristijan Ostanek
AMMOS FIODOROVICH LIAPKIN-TIAPKIN, the Judge - Ivan Godnič
ARTEMY FILIPPOVICH ZEMLIANIKA, the Superintendent of Charities - Miloš Battelino
IVAN KUZMICH SHPEKIN, the Postmaster - Matija Stipanič
PIOTR IVANOVICH DOBCHINSKY, Country Squire - Viktor Meglič
PIOTR IVANOVICH BOBCHINSKY, Country Squire - Nejc Ropret
IVAN ALEKSANDROVICH KHLESTAKOV, an official from St. Petersburg - Vladimir Vlaškalić
OSIP, his servant - Srdjan Grahovac
ABDULINA, a Merchant - Milada Kalezić
SERVANT IN THE GUESTHOUSE - Davor Herga
SVISTUNOV - Ivica Knez
THE POLICE CAPTAIN - Bojan Maroševič
