“Gerry Mulgrew proves that he can still invigorate the Scottish stage with a distinctly continental aesthetic which has been a profound influence upon theatre in this country for more than a quarter of a century – the superb ensemble gets to the very satirical essence of Gogol’s play. John Bett plays the town’s corrupt, panic-stricken governor with a hilarious combination of fake poshness and combustibility. Andy Clark’s Khlestakov talks up his assumed identity with the self-convincing alacrity of that other great theatrical fantasist, Christy Mahon in JM Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World. The capacity of this relatively small cast to engender an atmosphere of comic frenzy – through wonderfully exaggerated gesture and brilliantly appropriate live music – is reminiscent of the company’s highest achievements in the 1980s and 1990s.” Mark Brown, The Sunday Herald, Feb., 2010.

“Such is the atmosphere of venality­ in Gerry Mulgrew's hilarious Communicado­ ­production that, despite the period setting, we are never far away from ­financial profiteers and expense-fiddling MPs. By the time Andy Clark's Ivan Khlestakov­ gallops away from the provincial­ town where he has been ­profitably mistaken for a government inspector, we have a strong sensation of a society ­spinning off the rails through its own self-­serving greed. His cry of "Where are you ­racing to, Russia?" – in the late Adrian ­Mitchell's sparkling ­translation – today sounds like a ­premonition of late-­capitalist catastrophe. Mulgrew's production takes its cue from the frenetic polkas performed by the cast. With the same energy and ­mismatched community­ spirit, the ensemble hit a balance between caricature­ and a sense of emergency. Unembarrassed­ by their lavish lives­, but shocked to be found out, they pull together through raw self-interest.” Mark Fisher, The Guardian, Feb., 2010.

“This period-set Government Inspector is not good – it’s great. Every theatrical element is used to one glorious end: to make the audience laugh, and, at the same time, to confront us with our own responsibility for those venalities and vices that multiply suffering in the world. Jokes aren’t confined to the sock-it-to-‘em text: lighting effects, songs and even the sofa all join in the action. The ever-relevant story demands actors who combine pantomime timing and expressionist physicality with profound psychological understanding. This cast has the lot, with (in a magically snow-dashing troika) bells on.” Clare Brennan, The Observer, Feb., 2010.

"The prescience of Gogol’s comedy of political corruption, avarice and ineptness goes without saying. What’s remarkable about Communicado’s revival of The Government Inspector is that it manages to be riotously funny and entertaining while never losing sight of Gogol’s satirical intent. Every aspect, from the cartoonish ensemble playing to the vigorous musical interludes, directed by Alasdair Macrae, and the strong lighting effects has been tightly choreographed to create a heightened sense of the rot at the heart of this society.
Andy Clark is on impish form as Khlestakov, the slob mistaken for the eponymous official, who takes the town’s municipal leaders for everything he can. But it’s John Bett as the Governor who provides the most chilling moment, when at the climax he breaks through the outraged barrage onstage to confront the audience with our own complicity in this corruption"
**** The List 3rd March