The Inspector at The Barns of Wolf Trap

Only the second opera the Wolf Trap Foundation has yet commissioned, John Musto and Mark Campbell's new comedy The Inspector is based on Russian writer Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector, though the pair has transposed the play to 1930s Sicily under Mussolini's reign, and written it in English. "There's a lot of humor to be mined in abusive power," says the gay Campbell, who wrote the opera's lyrics. "Dictators are just funny," at least when they're onstage, out of real harm's way. (Metro Weekly recently spoke with one of the opera's stars, Matt Boehler, and you can read his interview here.) Final performance is Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $32 to $72. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolf-trap.org.