Tag Archives: Claire Windsor

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

★★★★

Chichester Festival Theatre

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

Chichester Festival Theatre

★★★★

“brims with swearing, colloquialisms, double entendres, and joyful absurdity”

Nikolai Gogol’s razor-sharp satire The Government Inspector gets a bawdy and riotous reimagining in this new adaptation by Phil Porter, directed with pantomimic glee by Gregory Doran in his Chichester debut. Fuelled by farcical energy, the production is packed with verbal wit and physical comedy that rarely misses a beat.

The plot is deceptively simple: a small, corrupt provincial town panics at news that a government inspector is due to arrive incognito. When they mistake a feckless young civil servant for the feared official, chaos ensues. Enter Tom Rosenthal as Khlestakov, the supposed inspector, who quickly realises he can exploit the town’s credulous officials – a rollicking parade of grotesques, each more deluded than the last – for money, food, flattery, and more.

Rosenthal, best known for Friday Night Dinner and Plebs, brings his trademark hapless charm to Khlestakov, a delightfully louche fantasist revelling in the absurd power thrust upon him. In between extracting money, goods, and favours, he sets about seducing the Mayor’s wife (Sylvestra Le Touzel) – gloriously ridiculous, flirtatious, and determined to outshine her own daughter – and the daughter herself (Laurie Ogden), whose wide-eyed naïvety is tinged with a quiet desperation to be noticed. Ideally, he’d have both.

On first meeting Khlestakov in his sleazy accommodation, he seems somewhat subdued – especially compared with the cavalcade of comic officials who dominate early on with scene-stealing flourishes. But Rosenthal’s performance builds into a compelling piece of comic buffoonery – especially in a hilariously drunken return to the Mayor’s house after a boozy lunch. He is ably supported by Nick Haverson as Osip, his sardonic, long-suffering manservant.

Lloyd Hutchinson gives a standout performance as the morally bankrupt Mayor, his sweaty desperation rendered with delicious physicality. He’s joined by a motley crew of officials, each scrambling to ingratiate themselves and slip the impostor a few hundred roubles. There are strong comic turns throughout: Joe Dixon’s pompous Judge, whose knees keep giving way; Christopher Middleton’s cigar-fumbling Head of Schools; Oscar Pearce’s gleefully self-serving Charity Commissioner, all too happy to reveal the Mayor’s misdeeds; and Reuben Johnson’s jittery Postmaster. Miltos Yerolemou and Paul Rider are particularly entertaining as Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky – a Tweedledum-and-Tweedledee pair of nosy busybodies, obsessed with their own imagined importance.

These absurd officials are starkly contrasted with the town’s merchants, who visit the supposed inspector seeking justice, only to be swindled again. Leigh Quinn’s Sergeant’s Widow delivers a quietly devastating moment as she recounts being publicly beaten, revealing the scars on her back. It’s a grim reminder that beneath the foolery lie real-world consequences.

Porter’s script is sprightly and accessible, injecting Gogol’s 19th-century satire with contemporary irreverence. It brims with swearing, colloquialisms, double entendres, and joyful absurdity. Standout lines include Khlestakov describing the Mayor’s wife as a “randy old honey badger” and boasting he has “a pie in every finger” – playful, outrageous, and unexpectedly sharp.

The opening scene hints at something more substantial. The Mayor, pondering why St Petersburg might be sending a government inspector to their backwater, dismisses the idea of war – confidently assuring his colleagues that Russia would never be interested in such a remote place. It’s a fleeting but pointed allusion to contemporary geopolitics and a knowing nod to Gogol’s Ukrainian identity (acknowledged in the programme). While this moment garners a chuckle, such modern resonance is quickly left behind, as the production commits more fully to good-natured farce than to drawing serious parallels with 21st-century politics.

The production embraces the meta-theatricality woven into Gogol’s text. The characters’ frantic need to impress is echoed in the actors’ heightened delivery, exaggerated movement (thanks to movement director Mike Ashcroft), and frequent breaking of the fourth wall. The final “frozen tableau” – the moment of stunned silence when the real inspector is announced – is held just long enough to become hilariously awkward, prompting uneasy titters and a ripple of recognition.

Francis O’Connor’s set design captures a world teetering between grandeur and decay. The Mayor’s office-turned-drawing-room features filing cabinets bursting with paper and oversized doors that suggest delusions of grandeur. The inn’s squalid room, with its grimy skylight and claustrophobic scale, offers a stark contrast – and provides an excellent setup for a well-executed physical comedy. O’Connor’s costumes are a visual feast: lavish, absurd, and sharply attuned to each character’s vanity and social pretensions, particularly in the cases of the Mayor’s preening wife and posturing daughter.

Doran keeps the whole machine ticking with precision. The pace never flags. This is a lively and well-crafted revival that entertains with gusto. While it flirts with deeper contemporary parallels through its satirical edge, it ultimately settles for broad, enjoyable farce – and a very enjoyable one it is.



THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

Chichester Festival Theatre

Reviewed on 1st May 2025

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Ellie Kurttz

 

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE | ★★★½ | January 2025
REDLANDS | ★★★★ | September 2024

 

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

REDLANDS

★★★★

Chichester Festival Theatre

REDLANDS at the Chichester Festival Theatre

★★★★

“Justin Audibert’s direction infuses the production with energy, enhancing the psychedelic ambience of the time”

Redlands, a new play by Charlotte Jones, deliciously delivers an enthralling portrayal of a pivotal moment in cultural history. This fictionalised account of the infamous 1967 trial of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the quiet Sussex city of Chichester explores generational conflict and societal change, highlighting the tension between The Establishment and the emerging rock and roll aristocracy.

In the summer of 1967, Keith Richards hosted a party at Redlands, his country house in West Wittering, near Chichester. Their revelry is abruptly interrupted by a police raid, leading to Mick and Keith’s arrest on drug charges. Jones deftly captures the clash between the youthful idealism of figures like Mick and Keith and the entrenched authority represented by Michael Havers, the leading QC defending them. This is no straightforward courtroom drama; it masterfully blends history and fiction, capturing the spirit of an era while examining the generational rifts that define it.

Central to the narrative is 17-year-old Nigel Havers, son of The Rolling Stones’ lawyer and an aspiring actor. Serving as a meta, fourth-wall-breaking narrator, he bridges the old guard and the new generation. Here, Nigel develops a relationship with Marianne Faithfull, whose portrayal in the tabloid press after the raid prompts her to re-evaluate her career and relationships. Their shared background of family and societal expectations, along with noble titles, adds emotional depth, highlighting the personal stakes amidst the public spectacle of the trial.

The show transcends the typical courtroom or coming-of-age drama. It examines the class system of late sixties UK, the reliability of the press and justice system, and the nature of fandom and fame. With ten songs from the Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithfull’s back catalogue performed live by cast members and an on-stage band, the play captures the exuberance of the era. Jasper Talbot (Mick Jagger) and Brenock O’Connor (Keith Richards) excel in their roles, skilfully channelling the unique moves and charisma of their real-life counterparts, particularly in musical numbers featuring classics like “Ruby Tuesday,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” Emer McDaid conveys the complex emotions of Marianne Faithfull, transitioning from the wild atmosphere of the party to moments of vulnerability in her relationship with Nigel.

In addition to father and son Michael Havers QC (Anthony Calf) and Nigel (Louis Landau), we also meet Michael’s father, Cecil “Bongo” Havers (Clive Francis). Despite being a prestigious lawyer and judge, Cecil is depicted as having more in common with his grandson than with his stuffy son. This trio adds both emotional depth and humour to the narrative as they navigate the weight of generational expectations.

Justin Audibert’s direction infuses the production with energy, enhancing the psychedelic ambience of the time. The vibrant set (Joanna Scotcher) and evocative lighting (Matt Daw) immerse everyone in the chaos and excitement of the era, creating a truly dynamic experience. Chichester’s thrust stage brings the action close to the audience, enhanced by direct interactions between performers and audience. Actors dance in the aisles, and two small platform stages above the exits serve as additional performance spaces during the musical numbers, as well as for commentary by journalists and witness boxes during the trial. The hardworking ensemble cast take on multiple roles, from comedic police officers to legal staff to journalists, bringing their characters to life with charisma and depth. Standouts include Adam Young, who plays both the drug dealer sent to Redlands and the News of the World journalist believed to have sent him there, as well as Havers’ other son, Philip. Akshay Sharan shines as Michael Havers’s legal colleague, who is smitten with Jagger.

Redlands cleverly juxtaposes the liberated spirit of the ’60s with the conservative values of an older generation, creating a dynamic commentary on the cultural upheaval of the time, alongside contemporary themes of youth culture and the struggle against societal norms. This celebration of rock and roll rebellion serves as a timely reminder that the clash of ideals continues to shape our world. The audience in Chichester was more than satisfied, despite the city and its residents being the butt of many jokes.


REDLANDS at the Chichester Festival Theatre

Reviewed on 29th September 2024

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Ikin Yum

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed by Ellen:

BARISTA THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | CAPITOL THEATRE | September 2024
THE BELT | ★★★★★ | THE CORONET THEATRE | September 2024
THE WEYARD SISTERS | ★★ | RIVERSIDE STUDIOS | August 2024

REDLANDS

REDLANDS

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page