‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ review
‘funny, entertaining, and buoyed by a dedicated and talented cast and crew. I’m jealous of everyone who gets to see it on tour this summer!’
A staple of the DST calendar year, Castle Theatre Company’s annual touring Shakespeare production is back, debuting this year's show, The Merry Wives of Windsor, in the Fellows’ Garden. Directed this year by Harriet Miller, the play is situated in the 1950s, complete with spotted tea dresses and an opening a capella chorus of The Chordettes’ ‘Mr Sandman’. This vision is executed throughout, especially in the promotional material, cleverly designed by Co-Producers Catrin Morgan and Emi Sharples.
The play’s basic premise is typical of a Shakespearian comedy: think misunderstandings, mishaps, and all’s fair in love and disguises. Oliver Butler’s John Falstaff seeks to court two rich - and married - courtly ladies: the titular merry wives, Mistress Ford (Rhiannon Morgan) and Mistress Page (Aaliyah Angir). Amidst the confusion, and jealousy of Master Ford (Gabriel Cardy-Brown), is the story of Anne Page (Khaliun Mark), the Pages’ young daughter, who is torn between three suitors with varying levels of success. Encompassing several plotlines, a French Doctor, and, as ever from Shakespeare, overzealous amounts of eavesdropping, The Merry Wives of Windsor is no small undertaking from Miller, but one which pays off in spades.
Butler’s Falstaff is nothing short of revolutionary: he commands every moment he is on stage, and his presence lingers long after he exits. His physicality is marvellous, from crawling across the stage like a spider, to having an energy to the performance which is a joy to watch. His sheer commitment to the role, and his wholehearted throwing of himself into the language renders his performance truly mind-blowing. His comedic performance, too, is physical and slapstick, but never overdone. A truly great actor to watch in this role.
Equally, Morgan - complete with recently fractured foot - and Angir both excel opposite Butler. Speaking of Morgan’s injury, it is a testament to the cast with how seamlessly they adapted to the new physical limitations - the wheelchair, if anything, only adds to the comedy of the show. Morgan’s Mistress Ford is sharp and funny; her dynamic with Angir’s Mistress Page is one of a female friendship which is joyous to watch. Angir, too, has an ease of presence on stage, and their chemistry sells their relationship overwhelmingly. Both have a key reactivity to their performances, too: neither are ever one-note or feel trite, but instead are great comedic foils to the more physical Falstaff.
Opposite each Angir and Morgan are Harvey Hill as Master Page and Cardy-Brown as Master Ford. Some of my favourite performances of the night came from these two: Hill’s sheer energy on stage is unfathomable, coupled with a mystical talent of oscillating between emotions faster than the speed of light. I found myself searching him out on stage even when he wasn’t directly involved in the scene, eager to see what he would do next. His chemistry with Henry Smith’s Shallow made me laugh consistently, and would not have been out of place in a 2000s sitcom. Cardy-Brown, finally, was a brilliantly sarcastic and bitter Master Ford, as well as being deeply funny: moments with just him alone on stage were fabulous, made hysterical through his excessive facial expressions and outrage. His quick snap from the more melancholy archetype of Ford into the earnest Master Brook must be commended too, and his dynamic with Butler, as well as with Morgan, were two I was enthralled with. The scene where he searches the house for Falstaff was one of my favourite moments - Cardy-Brown has a knack for taking comedy very seriously, which only makes it funnier.
However, despite these standout individual performances, the production comes into its own when the ensemble are onstage. Eva Tozzi’s Mistress Quickly is genuinely hilarious; she commits completely to the role which makes her watchable almost to a fault. Smith’s Shallow is swaggering and enjoyable; both Smith and Tozzi are marked by a slick confidence which is magnetic - I’m convinced both of them act alongside a brick wall, should it come to it. Khaliun Mark as Anne Page is endearing and inhabits the character fully, especially opposite Moritz Afridi as the gentle Fenton, who has a self-assuredness to every movement. Finally, Javier Villavecchia Sánchez as Doctor Caius is inspired - over-the-top, but never a caricature, instead, providing easy laughs to an audience constantly. The joy from the production comes from the joy the cast are having on stage - their chemistry as a cast is unmatched, and as an audience member, that is so prevalent.
Undoubtedly, outdoor theatre does come with its own set of challenges: occasionally, lines were lost to the wind, and the simplistic staging of one deckchair was nice, but out of the audience eyeline sometimes if you weren’t sat front row, as was when characters were sat on the floor. Equally, the British weather got the better of the audience, as the heavens opened halfway through: however, this did not phase the cast at all!
Overwhelmingly The Merry Wives of Windsor is the product of a small but perfectly formed cast and crew, whose energy and drive is surpassed only by their ability. Miller must be given her flowers for not only a new directorial vision, but creating a production that is genuinely fun to do, exemplified by a cast who are clearly having a great time on stage. CTC’s The Merry Wives of Windsor is everything it should be: funny, entertaining, and buoyed by a dedicated and talented cast and crew. I’m jealous of everyone who gets to see it on tour this summer!
By Lottie Roddis.