In a small town at the back of nowhere corruption is rife and the Mayor and his cronies have got it made. But when they learn they're going to be subject to an undercover government inspection they panic. Mistaking a penniless nobody for the powerful official they swiftly fall victims to their own stupidity and greed. Nabokov called The Government Inspector the greatest play in the Russian language. In this new translation, satirist Alistair Beaton brings to life its blend of preposterous characters and all-too real situations.