The closest thing to a Shakespearean ‘Carry On’ film, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is a fun comedy set amidst the Windsorian suburbs, that thankfully doesn’t take itself too seriously. The RSC’s latest version, directed by Blanche McIntyre, sets the play very much in the present day, with the locals gearing up to enjoy a major football match streaming on “Pie Sports” (incredibly appropriate, as I am writing this review mere hours before the kick-off of the men’s Euros). Football chants and drinking games bring the stage to life, as Sir John Falstaff (John Hodgkinson) sets about his task of trying to woo two housewives at the same time.
The housewives – Mistress Page (Samantha Spiro) and Mistress Ford (Siubhan Harrison) – are quickly onto him. From that moment on, the power is firmly in their hands, as they pull the strings of the other characters for no other reason than “fun”. The play is an absolute joy, as Page and Ford’s teasing of Falstaff becomes more and more outrageous. As they sit conspiring, Spiro and Harrison feel like the type of people that one could happily spend an afternoon with, sharing the gossip and having a natter. Their chemistry feels incredibly natural, and their playful nature is very entertaining to watch.
Hodgkinson’s portrayal of Falstaff has shades of Nigel Farage about him – sleazy and buffoonish with an air of forced importance. He is by no means unlikable – his asides and cheeky nods to the audience throughout help get them onside, even if the audience are only willing him on so that they can enjoy watching him fail. As the play goes on, Hodgkinson’s portrayal strays into melodrama and pantomime, but this is simply because the script requires it to. The situations are so laughably unbelievable that an air of pantomime helps to make the play more enjoyable.
The true comedic climax of the play comes with the mental breakdown (I really have no other words to describe it) of Ford’s husband Frank (Richard Goulding), as he goes hunting for Falstaff throughout his house, waving guns and knickers and leading to such a magnificent piece of well-choreographed slapstick comedy that leaves the audience not knowing which characters to focus to on.
The final act of the play takes a much darker turn, as the wives cook up a final plan to expose Falstaff’s foolishness to the entire village. This is played with a much more sinister tone, to the extent that the audience begin to feel sorry for Falstaff despite knowing that he was the one in the wrong. As Falstaff is tied to a tree by hooded figures, it begins to feel like a step too far – only for the laughs to come flooding back as the wives’ plot is revealed.
The B-plot of the comedy focuses on Page’s daughter Anne (Tara Tijani), and her warring suitors, Slender (Patrick Walshe McBride as the awkward, closeted teen), Dr Caius (Jason Thorpe as the French doctor, who brings plenty of accent-related jokes, which feels along similar lines to those jokes from Don Armado in the RSC’s recent “Love’s Labours Lost”) and Fenton (John Leader as Anne’s true love). This plot is definitely the least interesting aspect of the play, but leads to a few laughs and gives us the necessary happy ending.
“The Merry Wives of Windsor” does not contain the thought-provoking soliloquies of Hamlet, nor the character-driven drama of Macbeth, and this production doesn’t pretend to be deep or meaningful. It is simply a comedy, and a very fine one at that. Falstaff’s final shrug as his ploys are undone by Page and Ford beautifully sum up this production. You will be laughing throughout, guaranteed.
Tom Morley, June 2024
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