South’s upcoming fall play, The Government Inspector, tells the fictional story of corruption and deceit witnessed in a small town in provincial Russia. Through the use of dramatic irony the audience is keyed into the true motives of the inspector and officials of the town that some of the characters are not even aware of- meaning hilarity is bound to ensue.  “I know that when one thinks of 1940 tsarist Russia, one immediately thinks ‘comedy’”, jokes Mr. Kozak, director of the production. Playing leading roles are Ricardo Davis, “the inspector”, and Kie Antone, the mayor, both of which are in “hilarious, high-energy roles”, which are must-sees according to Mr. Kozak. Supporting actors on the cast list this fall include Kaylin Iannone playing the mayor’s wife (Anna), Juliana Horn as the mayor’s daughter (Marya), and many more playing the roles of town officials.

Behind-the-scenes, Kylie Mandeville acts as the assistant director to Mr. Kozak. When asked why he brought The Government Inspector to South, Mr. Kozak says, “…while it is an old play (1836), it is a modern adaptation, with a modern sense of humor and jokes… it still satirizes the institutions and politics of today”. Mr. Kozak included that he also likes that the play has a large cast, “In an educational theatre situation, I like to be able to give as many students as possible the chance to get onstage. When I was in graduate school, they literally told you not to write a play with more than 4 characters if you ever wanted to have it produced by a theatre. But plays with a lot of characters tend to have more energy in them…”.  This high energy, along with some side-splitting comedy, can definitely be expected in The Government Inspector– along with one punk character as a shout-out to last spring’s production of American Idiot. With it’s intense and relevant storyline and the fantastic cast and crew, The Government Inspector is a must see this fall. Tickets can be bought online (mhss.booktix.com) and the play will be showing in the South Theater November 17th, 18th and 19th.