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1. A Respectable Family

There are more photos from this production below. Selecting any of the small thumbnail images will show a larger version of the picture in the main part of the page. »

The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol - School Superintendent

- BOVTS at the Vandyck Theatre, Bristol. Directed by Tony Falkingham.

S A chance for some seriously over-the-top characterisation here, in this production of Gogol's satirical comedy of Russian petty bureaucracy. As the constantly terrified and ineffectual School Superintendent, I wore a Clousseau moustache, glasses and perpetually worried eyebrows and had a great time trying to outdo all the other assorted eccentrics and grotesques that my colleagues were creating! A terrific revolving set, all cock-eyed angles and too-small walls, was superbly used by director Tony Falkingham to cram lots of people into ever-decreasing spaces with the result that the farce became increasingly frenetic and desparate as the events of the play unfolded. I loved this production!

I came up with one great physical gag in it, although I don't think our wardrobe mistress at the time (who is now one of my very dearest friends) has ever quite forgiven me for it. At one point the school superintendent is given a cigar by the (supposed) government inspector. When he takes his leave he offers his hand to shake. I have my hat in one hand and the cigar in the other. I can't put my hat on - very bad manners - and I can't find anywhere to put the cigar...except my pocket. So the lit cigar goes into the pocket, I shake hands with him and then as his leavetaking is extended and extended, clouds of black smoke start to issue from the pocket. Eventually, I leave, still trailing a smokescreen. It was very funny (I thought) and I did take as many precautions as I thought were needed - the cigar actually went into a tin, wrapped in insulating material, and ignited a layer of 'smoke powder' in the bottom of the tin. What I didn't realise was that the tin, even in its insulation, got very hot, and the pocket of the (hired and very expensive) costume was getting steadily more and more charred as the performances mounted up. So my pleasure at the success of the gag was (and still is) slightly spoiled by the guilt I feel about ruining the costume and poor Judy having to explain to the hire company just how the pocket got burned...

Nick Farrell seems to be becoming a permanent fixture in these photos - there he is again on the right in the picture below, holding forth in what was a superbly funny performance as the dense and pompous Mayor.

Some other recognisable - if very young - faces in the second photo are: Amanda Redman (seated extreme left), Tim Bentinck (standing back row left), Moira Brooker (seated extreme right).

"Nick Farrell excels as the dim-witted and hypocritical mayor, Jon Glentoran, Aaron Shirley and Russell Roberts all get well inside their characters."