An adaptation of Russian comedy master Nikolai Gogol's "The Government Inspector," presented under the same title, will soon meet audiences in Shanghai.

Directed by Chinese sitcom director and actor Ying Da, the play brings together a handful of veteran actors, including Li Chengru and Wang Hong.

The story centers on a group of fawning, duplicitous officials in an isolated, stagnant border town. When word spreads that the government inspector is about to make an incognito visit, panic instantly grips the town, and the officials are thrown into disarray.

By a twist of fate, a down-and-out, idle young rake who has run out of money is mistaken by everyone for the inspector traveling incognito. The mayor, judge, and officials who once rode roughshod over others instantly change their tune, vying to flatter and curry favor with him, doing everything to please him, and competing to offer bribes and attach themselves to him.

The clueless impostor goes from astonishment and bewilderment to playing along, weaving lie after lie. The whole town stages an utterly comical and absurd drama of sycophancy.

When the real inspector suddenly arrives, the absurd climactic scene delivers a high-impact ending that leaves a lasting aftertaste.

The play has no obscure moralizing. Amid laughter, it sharply skewers human vanity, greed, and blind conformity, which is why it still strikes a chord after a century.

Performance info

Dates: October 16, 7:30pm; October 17, 2pm/7:30pm

Tickets: 180-680 yuan

Venue: Majestic Theater 美琪大戏院

Address: 66 Jiangning Rd 江宁路66号