The meaning of the epigraph and the "silent scene" in N. V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" Revizor - best Russian comedy. Both in reading and in staging on stage, it is always interesting. Therefore, it is generally difficult to talk about any failure of the "Auditor". But, on the other hand, it is also difficult to create a real Gogol performance, to make those sitting in the audience laugh with a bitter Gogol laugh. As a rule, something fundamental, deep, escapes the actor or viewer, on which the whole meaning of the play is based. The premiere of the comedy, which took place on April 19, 1836 on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, according to contemporaries, was a huge success. Gorodnichy was played by Ivan Sosnitsky, Khlestakov was played by Nikolai Dyur, the best actors of that time. "The general attention of the audience, applause, sincere and unanimous laughter, the challenge of the author <...> - Prince Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky recalled, - there was no shortage of anything" (Vyazemsky P. A. Aesthetics and Literary Criticism, Moscow, 1984, p. 143). At the same time, even the most ardent fans of Gogol did not fully understand the meaning and significance of the comedy; the majority of the public perceived it as a farce. Many saw the play as a caricature of Russian officialdom, and its author as a rebel. According to S. T. Aksakov, there were people who hated Gogol from the moment the Inspector General appeared. So, Count F. I. Tolstoy (nicknamed the American) said in a crowded meeting that Gogol was "an enemy of Russia and that he should be sent to Siberia in shackles" (Gogol in the Memoirs of contemporaries, Moscow, 1952, p. 122). Censor A.V. Nikitenko wrote in his diary on April 28, 1836: "Gogol's comedy" The Inspector General " made a lot of noise.<...> Many people believe that the government is wrongly approving this play, in which it is so cruelly condemned" (Nikitenko A.V. Diary, Moscow, 1955, Vol. 1, p. 182) ... Read more