This lesser-staged Shakespearean revenge comedy has had its fair share of detractors over time, some arguing that it brings the rambunctious figure of Sir John Falstaff back from the Henriad as a paler incarnation of himself, others suggesting its battle of the sexes comedy is less than razor sharp.
So it is all the more surprising that director Blanche McIntyre’s production, Midas-touched and magnificent, makes the story of the two conniving wives of Windsor so fresh that it seems like these characters belong in our world and speak to it too. A line could be traced from the play to TV sitcoms and high quality, modern-day farce. The convolutions of Shakespeare’s plot are smoothed out so the deceptions and sub-deceptions are crystal clear.
