The Merry Wives of Windsor

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

The Merry Wives of Windsor may not be Shakespeare’s greatest play. The plot may be troublesome and lame according to today’s standards. The plot, however, in the case of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production currently playing at the Stage Theatre, takes on a minor role. It’s what director David Ivers created with a genuine talented cast that allows this production to stand tall in great “fun-ness.”

Sharon Washington as Mistress Page and Kathleen McCall as Mistress Ford in the Denver Center Theatre Company production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Photo by Terry Shapiro

The characters run rampant with busyness shrouded in honest, human natural humor and down right laughability. In perpetual motion, the characters never falter into being funny for the sake of being funny. Their actions and reactions all fit within the context of human nature as a distinct part of their revealed characterizations. The slapstick allowed and encouraged melds beautifully in with every day small town humor. Not necessarily an easy thing to accomplish on stage with a large cast, but Ivers succeeds with astonishing believability.

The awesome set designed by Hugh Landwehr with DCTC’s new computerized system demands its own pay attention role in the story. The system provides the set to move in a choreographed manner with smooth grace and tickling imagination. The storefront of the pub and houses comes complete with birds perched on roofs. The forest where Falstaff is finally brought to his knees unfolds with a surprising magical twist.

The opening scenes with the small town of Windsor, England set in the 1920’s waking up to a new day introduces the characters as they greet each other in a jovial Happy Day mood. Husbands off to work and to the golf course forgetting to kiss their wives goodbye; wives starkly reminding them while relieving their spouses of wallets gives a glimpse into character structure of what’s to come.

Sir John Falstaff has taken up residence at the Garter Inn. Needing money, priding himself on smirky cleverness, he decides to woo Mistress Ford and Mistress and Mistress Page. Despite the fact they are married mean nothing to him. Quite cognizant the wives control their husband’s purses a love affair will do quite nicely, thank you very much.

Brian Keith Russell wears Falstaff’s persona with rough and gruff delicious conniving humor. Kathleen McCall plays the energetic fun loving Mistress Ford, and Sharon Washington giggles and cavorts in the Mistress Page’s shoes.

Because of the drink, Falstaff’s loose tongue waggles his plans to his not too happy cronies, Bardolph (Richard Thomsen), Pistol (Chris Kendall), and Nym (Jeffrey Roark), who gleefully see to it the two wives are aware of his scheme. The two wives concoct a plan to lead him on and play with him.

Meanwhile, the Pages’ charming daughter, Anne, (Kwana Martinez) undermines her parents’ choice of a suitor, Page’s cousin Shallow (Randy Moore). In spite of his idiosyncrasies, the Pages’ see and smell the money. Ann has fallen madly in love with the poor Fenton, (Mat Hostetler).

Ford, (John Hutton) always suspicious of the possibility of his wife’s infidelity begins to do his own nosing around. Unaware of his wife’s playful venture toward Falstaff, Ford manages to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The physicality Hutton brings to Ford is deliciously eye catching. Ford knows he’s jealous, priding himself on this virtue. In a monologue, he declares “God be praised for my jealousy.” Secretly conniving with Page, John Livingston Rolle plays him as one step, one joke, and one plan behind Ford. When timed correctly as Rolle does, lagging behind is always hysterical. The one time he comes on strong and powerful is when he thinks he has Anne under control, which he doesn’t. Oblivious to what goes on around him, Ford dramatically questions Page’s blind innocence, “Has Page any brains, any eyes?”

Falstaff sends the same letter to both Mistress Ford and Mistress Page to entice them into a relationship beginning the letter with “You are not as young as I am. You are married, so am I,” hardly a romantic invitation. When the two wives compare notes, they are so ready to play humiliating, revengeful jokes on the arrogant Falstaff, who, by this time, thinks he is God’s gift to womanhood.

In a comedy like this, there is always a nosey maid insisting on being in the center of things, gaining prestige with juicy gossip playing one piece of gossip against another. Kathleen M. Brady takes on Mistress Quickly with rambunctious funnery. Brady a long time favorite at the DCTC, living with a fine tuned artistic wisdom, and innate comedic timing is miraculous in this role. It is difficult to keep the eyes off her, except every other character keeps the eyes busy with their own comedic busyness.

Readying herself for an initial meeting with Falstaff, Mistress Ford plays with numerous amorous poses. McCall’s attempt to boost Mistress Ford onto a table is pure genius nearly putting the audience on the floor. Her eyes and expressions compliment the fact the table stands too tall for such a petite body.

Rob Hille’s take on Simple, a town fool, a town clown, clinging to some kind of dignity, always missing the boat, keeps the stomach sore from giggles.

Michael Santos’ impersonation of Doctor Caius, a Frenchman with a highly affected dialect adds to the colorful characterizations, particularly when he plays games with a sword with Shallow outside the pub.

When Ford eventually snares Falstaff, beating him to a pulp, or at least attempting to beat him to a pulp, has to go down as one of the most hysterical fight scenes in theatrical history.

Charles R. MacLeod’s lighting design dances with as much fun as the characters. David Kay Mickelson’s costume design matches the characters’ personality to a Tee. The music composed by Gregg Coffin demands its own perfected attention as it snuggles against the edges of scenery, mood, and set changes.

Shakespeare plays with the same themes that frequently attracted him: lust, greed, deceit, infidelity, marriage, (honor of and lack of), projected power of men against a realistic power of women Shakespeare almost seems to be writing with tongue in cheek. Falstaff, the hero of Henry IV gets taken down a couple of pegs by Shakespeare, a little wider, a little slower on the draw, a little denser, and highly vulnerable to the quick witted Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. Was he feeding Queen Elizabeth’s ego? Perhaps. Or perhaps he just thought it was time to bring Falstaff down.

Queen Elizabeth commanded Shakespeare to write a play on Falstaff in love. The Bard had only ten days to complete his assignment. He showed him in love all right, in love with his own craftiness projecting what he once was. The egocentric scoundrel takes a dive into buffoonery symbolically articulated when he is forced to dive into a laundry basket.

The intricacies of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor have little to do with the reason to call for reservations. It’s what Ivers does with it that attracts, and the frolicking of the magnificent cast in minute detail coupled with over blown humor. The Merry Wives of Windsor is a delectable moment of entertainment while observing a polished cast cavort through honest funny.