The Government Inspector by Gogol

The mayor and local officials of a small provincial town in Russia have it made: corruption is rampant, and they wield absolute control. However, when they learn that an undercover government inspector is scheduled to pay them a visit, they rush to cover their traces. Soon, the discovery that a suspicious individual has lately come from St Petersburg and is staying at a nearby inn sparks a chain of events and misunderstandings that culminate in a funny dénouement.

The Government Inspector, often regarded as Russian literature's best comedy, is a scathing satire of the corruption, greed, and idiocy of petty officialdom, as well as the pinnacle of Gogol's playwriting abilities.