Translated from the original play in Russian, The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, and adapted for two actors by Roger Pulvers

Author, playwright, translator, theater and film director Roger Pulvers has translated and adapted one of world theater’s greatest comic classics, Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector. This version for two actors, here in print for the first time, has been produced in Japan and Australia to great acclaim. Roger Pulvers writes in his Foreword …

“The Government Inspector for Two Actors is a theatrical challenge to actors and staff, especially costume designer and stage manager. It requires ultra-quick changes. The challenge lies not only in getting the actor into the right costume at the right time, but also for the actors to transform themselves instantaneously from one character to another. But the script was constructed with all this in mind from the beginning. Its premise is that you can be anybody you want to be, so long as you can convince others of it.

In that sense The Government Inspector for Two Actors is about the theater itself as much as it is about the true and false faces of our society.”

“Genius and hilarity” The Canberra Times

“Gogol for two superb” The Australian

“For comedy, this is as good as it gets” Canberra City News

“A revelation … the integrity of Gogol’s message about corrupt bureaucracy remains alive and well” Brisbane Courier Mail

“Satire good as gold” Sun Herald

“It’s a farce, and a very funny one at that” Sunday Telegraph

“Be astounded that this old play can resonate today and that it is hilariously funny” Daily Telegraph

“The comedy stakes are raised through Roger Pulvers’ terrific adaptation for two actors” Sydney Morning Herald

ISBN: 978-1-913891-26-8

Publication date: 30 March 2022
Format: Paperback (Demy octavo) 216mm x 138mm
Pages: 80 pp, with 3 colour photos

Cover illustration by Lucy Pulvers