Review: The Government Inspector, Alma Tavern

Although the sheer brilliance of Nikolai Gogol’s black satire The Government Inspector guarantees it relevance even some 180 years after publication, the play’s status is nevertheless reasserted by Bristol Acting Academy’s high-paced and intensely farcical production.

Gogol’s message is that the corruption and stupidity of officialdom are so heinous, ubiquitous and ineradicable that we have no choice but to laugh – and laugh the audience does, as the cast hyper-exaggerates every gesture and bellows many of its lines, conspiring in a riotous and enjoyable cacophony that barely stops for breath from beginning to end. The Government Inspector is best delivered at a rampant pace, and this production sees everything turned up to full volume, helping to bring out Gogol’s pioneering surrealism and satire.

There are similarities to David Harrower’s excellent 2011 translation for The Young Vic, but Toby Hulse’s version stands up very well on its own feet by augmenting the original with modern flourishes that further engage the audience in its timeless message – incorporating, for example, lines from the cult classic film Withnail and I and even sneaking in an episode of masturbation that (I’m pretty confident) doesn’t feature in Gogol’s original text, forward-thinking as it was.

There are other nice original elements, too, with the bumbling duo Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky combined into one part, Antonio Ortiz switching constantly between the frenetic and ferrety mannerisms of one squire and the sluggish affectations of his tedious counterpart, and the whole village absurdly abetting his dissociative contortions. A particularly perfect fit is the use of Eastern European folk music, the racy tempo whipping proceedings towards their inevitable conclusion.

Several male characters are played by women, one female role is acted by a man, and the predomination of cross-dressing gives the entire performance an outlandish pantomime quality, not least because the towering Yannick Budd plays Anna in a bra worn over his shirt and takes flamboyant Germanic campness to equally Brobdingnagian levels. And the poor fit and unbuttoned cuffs of the costumes, particularly on the women dressed as men, works well, their shabbiness reflecting the disorder and idleness of the town’s crooked patriarchy.

The Alma Tavern Theatre’s intimacy between audience and performers suits this production well, and the actors successfully generate a sense of warmness and inclusion, acknowledging laughs, addressing front-rowers directly and, at one point, seeking their help in holding a bowl of imaginary gherkins. Although this feels less odd than it sounds, it is, like much else in this production, still splendidly odd indeed. We should again be grateful that Bristol has spaces like this, where un-established actors can hone their craft – particularly in such a fun way.

The Government Inspector continues at the Alma Tavern Theatre until Saturday, June 18. For more info, visit www.almataverntheatre.co.uk/theatre/what-s-on