The premiere of the play “The Government Inspector” took place at the Theater of the House of Press in the Shuvalov Palace on April 9, 1927. The excitement around the upcoming event was fueled by newspapers and magazines. The play was directed by Igor Terentyev who was already well known in Leningrad: he staged the play called “John Reed” based on the book “Ten Days That Shook the World” at the Red Theater. The scenery and costumes for the premiere of “The Government Inspector” were designed by the students of the artist Pavel Filonov. On the eve of the performance, they placed their paintings in the foyer of the palace, so that the premiere was preceded by an exhibition titled “The Death of Capitalism.”

Pavel Filonov did not contribute to the design of the play, acting only as a mentor for his students, who were deeply immersed in the search for artistic insights. The artist’s student Tatyana Glebova recalled that Filonov was first and foremost an exploring artist and the founder of analytical realism, and that theater was of little interest to him.

The performance was designed by five Filonov’s students — Artur Landsberg, Andrey Sashin, Mikhail Tsybasov, Revecca Leviton, and Nikolay Evgrafov. The result of their efforts managed to both amaze and outrage not only the critics but also the viewers.

The costumes were exceedingly bulky and overburdened with small details. They seemed to constrict the actors’ movements and make it impossible to move. Upon a closer look, the costumes helped identify the characters of the play and revealed the details about their personalities and occupation.

For example, the postmaster’s costume was covered with sealed letters. The merchants who complained to Khlestakov about the Mayor had an icon hidden in their beards and a barn lock hanging from their belts. The rude policeman Derzhimorda had three heads, and the costume of the county doctor Gibner was decorated with drawings of a severed head and thermometers.

The scenery included five high cabinets on wheels and one long black cabinet, which stood in the back and was intended as a “restroom.” The cabinets were constant participants of the performance: the characters either disappeared into them or came out of them.

The performance was distinguished by the fact that all characters spoke different languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and French. The final scene was truly groundbreaking: accompanied by loud music, the stage was illuminated with red light with Khlestakov suddenly coming out of the darkness.