(2003 - 2007)
Galpão’s “O Inspetor Geral” is a comedy about imposture, hypocrisy, and fear. The original play was written by Gogol in Russia in 1836 but its themes are still as relevant as any of the best contemporary plays. That is because “O Inspetor Geral” criticizes and denounces evils that still afflict the whole world: corruption, impunity, the lack of principles of government officials and politicians, the irresponsible misuse of public funds, and the indifference of the powerful before other people’s poverty and hunger.
The action in “O Inspetor Geral” starts to unravel because of a simple misunderstanding. The governor of a distant province of imperial Russia receives a letter from a friend, warning him about the likely arrival of a Government Inspector named by the czar himself to audit public administration in the most remote corners of the empire. The governor’s friend also tells him that this fearful Inspector would travel in disguise on his secret missions and this frightens to death the Governor and his assistants, all corrupt government officials that exploit and harass the general public. Just after the warning letter, a stranger arrives in town, checks into the hotel, and starts to behave rather suspiciously: he almost never leaves his room. Two weeks have passed and he still has not explained the reason of his visit, nor when he intends to leave. The suspicion that he might be the high-ranking official from Saint Petersburg eventually becomes certainty to everyone: after all, who could he be if not the feared Government Inspector?
But actually the feared stranger is nothing but a low level public servant, Ivan Alecsandrovitch Klestacov, who lost all his money gambling on his way to a neighboring province. He remains in the city simply because he has no money to pay for the expenses at the inn.