Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young review, Sadler’s Wells: Revisor is marvellously danced and superbly staged

Written in 1836, this danced comedy is the story of corrupt provincial officials

Dancer Tiffany Tregarthen in the remake of the satirical play (Michael Slobodian)

★★★★★

Corruption, lies and haunting beauty: Revisor is a danced comedy with a strange, lyrical heart. Choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright Jonathon Young reinvent Nikolai Gogol’s play about mistaken identity in dazzling layers of sound and vision.

Pite and Young’s first major collaboration was Betroffenheit, a shattering depiction of grief and addiction, shot through with dark comedy. This time, they start with farce and push it into unnerving places. Written in 1836, Revizor (usually translated as The Government Inspector or The Inspector General) is the story of corrupt provincial officials. Mistaking a civil servant for an undercover inspector, they fall over themselves to bribe him and accuse each other.