Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon – until 7 September 2024
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
The tale of The Merry Wives of Windsor revolves around Sir John Falstaff and his antics with the Merry Wives of Windsor, Mistresses Ford and Page. Arrogant, sly and hedonistic, the only thing larger than Falstaff is his ego. Arriving in Windsor, he decides to address his financial issues by seducing the wives who happen to be married to two wealthy merchants. The wives discover they have been sent identical letters by the lust filled lothario and plot to take their revenge by playing tricks on Falstaff when he tries to carry out his seductions. Meanwhile Mistress Page’s daughter, Anne, has a fair few suitors fighting for her hand in marriage. Justice Shallow’s nephew Slender, Anne’s father’s choice, Doctor Caius, Anne’s mother’s choice and Fenton, Anne’s choice. Complications ensue when all three men connect with Mistress Quickly, Doctor Caius’ assistant and a friend of Anne, asking her to help them to win Anne’s affections. Much hilarity ensues as each character pursues their needs and ultimately bring Falstaff to justice.
This production is beautiful, modern, and fresh. With a myriad of mustard hues weaving their way through Windsor, the style, set, direction and casting is utter perfection. The Merry Wives themselves, played by Samantha Spiro and Siubhan Harrison are a joy to watch. The mischief and comradery in their cahoots is so natural, as if they were actual friends. This made their antics completely believable. The joy they took in spicing things up in Windsor oozed from them and Spiro’s scream made us scream with laughter. Shazia Nicholls performance as Mistress Quickly made for sublime viewing, Quick witted, delivering the role with real warmth and humour she brought the character fully to life. John Hodgkinson is a fabulous Falstaff, commanding the stage with oodles of comedy, swagger, and ease, engaging the audience in his various misdoings which saved him from being a complete villain. Scenes of him dressing up as a maid, jumping into laundry baskets and being chased, had the audience roaring with laughter. Jason Thorpe as Dr Caius, Ian Hughes as Sir Hugh Evans and Patrick Walshe McBride as Sir Slender brought much laughter as the battling suitors, the physical comedy amplified every comedic moment. The cast as a whole combined to make this a fantastic production. Director Blanche McIntyre’s contemporary and modern interpretation worked perfectly. The set and costumes by Robert Innes are stunning. The central backpiece of it rotated to reveal a pub, a front door, a side alley, an office, and a living room, ultimately lifting to reveal its final, haunting piece of set. The lighting by Malcolm Rippeth and the live music composed by Tim Sutton combined with the set and costume to give us a believable, relatable, and contemporary Windsor.
This was a wonderful adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor similar to that of a quintessential English sitcom. Bright, bold and brimming with belly laughs, its guaranteed to leave you merry.