Down on his luck in the suburbs, Sir John Falstaff plans to hustle his way to a comfortable retirement by seducing the wives of two wealthy men.
Unknown to him, it's the women of Windsor who really pull the strings, orchestrating his comeuppance amid a theatrical smorgasbord of petty rivalries, jealousies and over-inflated egos. For a fat Englishman, a Welshman and a Frenchman, the only way is Windsor... (from the RSC Barbican).
Rating:★★★★★
I'd like to say Shakespeare is a home run, but the past year my boyfriend and I have had seen some poor Shakespeare performances that it has become a curse we joke about. I am glad to say that curse has now broken, because this was just wonderful.
The sets were wonderful as well. Cleverly simple, but with a few added props you knew exactly where you were meant to be. You felt like you were in a pub, or by the pool. I love it when sets don't have to be complicated but are used so well. Everything on stage had a purpose.
The night before going to see Merry Wives we had gone to see Hamilton, and been sadly underwhelmed with the performance. Tonight was the exact opposite. I had so much fun at this play, a play I knew next to nothing about.
I'd like to say Shakespeare is a home run, but the past year my boyfriend and I have had seen some poor Shakespeare performances that it has become a curse we joke about. I am glad to say that curse has now broken, because this was just wonderful.
The story follows Falstaff, a fat and sleazy Lord, trying to seduce two beautiful women for their husbands' money. Of course, this doesn't go well for him as he underestimates the women, who are much cleverer than he is. He writes to the pair of them, expecting each of them to quickly fall for his pathetic charms. Instead they each share their amusement with their friend, only to realise he's sent them to exact same note. Thus, a plan to teach him a lesson is born.
Alongside this main story is an abundance of amusing minor characters, and a love story between Anna Ford, the daughter of one of the women Falstaff has tried to seduce, and the man she wants to marry, Fenton. However, both Anna's parents hate him as a choice, and each have their own selected partner for her.
The setting the Barbican production chose to go with was is an Essex-style town, with Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, our two main women, being played like Pam and Dawn from Gavin and Stacy. I loved it. They were both wonderfully comical, very over-the-top. Their interactions with the great David Troughton, who played Falstaff, were by far the best scenes. Every one of the characters felt reliable to someone you knew, from the eccentric doctor who took great slight at everything, to the gossiping maid, to the jealous husband.
The sets were wonderful as well. Cleverly simple, but with a few added props you knew exactly where you were meant to be. You felt like you were in a pub, or by the pool. I love it when sets don't have to be complicated but are used so well. Everything on stage had a purpose.
The whole performance I was captivated by the story and the wonderful cast. I had fun, and I laughed. They captured the spirit of what I love about Shakespeare's comedies so well. I should just always go to the Barbican for my Shakespeare fix.
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