Much has changed since Shakespeare’s time, so it’s easy to believe his plays are little more than relics, irrelevant to modern-day audiences. But among the handful of his timeless tropes is one that never fails to make us laugh: the overweight, slovenly, unattractive fellow who’s convinced the ladies love him.
In a nutshell, that’s the plot of this season’s Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival offering, The Merry Wives of Windsor, running through Saturday, Aug. 24, at Sand Harbor State Park in Incline Village.
Several of the Bard’s historical plays featured a character named John Falstaff, whom it’s said was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I—so much so, in fact, that she is reputed to have requested that the playwright write a play in which Falstaff could fall in love. Shakespeare, who fully enjoyed making a mockery of Falstaff, had his own ideas about how such a play might come together. The result is The Merry Wives of Windsor, a five-act, comedic battle of the sexes in which a silly, rotund Falstaff plots to seduce two wealthy wives in the town of Windsor, in hopes of getting his hands on their wealth. The women, however, are on to him; the two decide to make a fool out of him for their own amusement. Whatever this may say about Shakespeare’s attitudes toward women, in this play, at least, the women hold all the power.
Our merry wives are Mrs. Page (Ellen Grace Diehl) and Mrs. Ford (Madeline Calais-King), who are relatively wealthy, thanks to their husbands. The knight John Falstaff (Daniel T. Parker) comes to town short on funds and takes a shine to both women—and their money. He’s egotistical enough to believe he has a shot at seducing them, so he sends each of them the same ridiculous love letter. He tries to recruit two of his attendants, Pistol (Jerrell Williams) and Nym (Malik Bilbrew), into his caper, but they refuse and are fired. So they run right to Mr. Ford (Jeffrey C. Hawkins) and Mr. Page (Jason Eno) to reveal Falstaff’s plot. Although Page isn’t terribly worried, Ford goes into a jealous rage. He decides to wear a disguise and introduce himself to Falstaff as a man named Brook, hoping Falstaff will confide in Brook about his affair with Mrs. Ford.
But he need not worry. The wives compare notes and have a good laugh at Falstaff’s expense. Not only that, but they can handle whatever the knight and the jealous husband can dish out. They plot to make a fool out of Falstaff and, secondarily, Ford by arranging various trysts that come to nothing except laughs at the men’s expense.
Meanwhile, as is the norm in Shakespeare’s plays, a minor plot takes place simultaneously. The Pages’ daughter, the lovely Anne (Kechanté), has come of age and has a host of suitors vying for her affections, including a ridiculous, effeminate French doctor, Caius (Anthony Michael Martinez), and the foolishly arrogant Master Slender (Josh Houghton). But she only has eyes for a young gentleman named Fenton (also played by Jerrell Williams). While the wives are preoccupied by their plot, other Windsor townfolk send Anne’s suitors running in circles, allowing her and Fenton to steal away and marry.
Don’t let the Shakespearean language barrier keep you from this farce. In fact, there’s no better place to experience it. As if the tranquil setting and cooler temperatures at Sand Harbor weren’t enough, the director and cast have taken great pains to make the work accessible, relevant and hilarious. For example, when Parker, as Falstaff, confesses, “Setting the attraction of my good parts aside, I have no other charms,” he seizes the opportunity to play up the knight’s pride in his—well, girth—as his greatest strength. The cast’s masterful delivery makes the most of the playwright’s tendency toward sexual innuendo, and though you may not know what every word means, you won’t miss the gist, nor the laughs.
Though the whole cast is strong, I must call out a few highlight performances—namely, Martinez’s Dr. Caius is an absolute riot, and Hawkins, in the guise of Brook, proves he is a master at physical comedy, as he repeatedly and unfailingly trips over a bearskin rug to cement his character’s absurdity.
If you’re already a fan of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, this latest installment is every bit as enjoyable as you’d expect. But if you’ve never gone, The Merry Wives of Windsor is a hilarious, goofy romp that makes it the perfect place to start.
The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival presents The Merry Wives of Windsor through Saturday, Aug. 24, at Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Highway 28, in Incline Village. Additional festival highlights include performances by the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and Sierra Nevada Ballet, and performances of the musical Always … Patsy Cline, through Sunday, Aug. 25. For tickets and information, visit laketahoeshakespeare.com.