The annual Shakespeare romp in the Botanic Gardens has arrived and the ever reliable Australian Shakespeare Company doesn’t disappoint with its production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The play is a comedy about two wives teaching the town’s local scoundrel a lesson he’ll not soon forget. This isn’t a work you’ll find on a ‘top 10 must read Shakespeare plays’ listicle, given its pedestrian narrative and absence of verse, but it’s a lighthearted tale that provides much opportunity for entertainment and laughs.
Director Glenn Elston delivers on this count, as he always does. There are visual and musical gags aplenty and injections of modern jokes that’ll keep a smile on the whole family’s face. The cast bounce through scenes and are bright-eyed and jovial, which makes the two-and-a-half-hour run time seem much shorter.
The titular wives, performed by Anna Burgess and Elizabeth Brennan, prank the boorish cad John Falstaff, performed by Peter Houghton. There are moments of exemplary comedic theatre and crowd work. Anna Burgess in particular draws laugh after laugh out of the audience during these scenes.
Just as well, as the audience is slow to warm up given the top of the show is packed with exposition and Elston’s attempt to get the laughs going with Star Wars references is more confusing than funny. Constant unnecessary fat jokes and a just shy of glib comment about gender pronouns also feature, the former becoming quite grating by Act Two.
The ensemble cast work their tongues around Shakespeare’s prose fairly well. Tash Herbert as Mistress Quickly is most effective at relaying the meaning of age-old expressions to the audience at the speed required.
But the star of the show may be the set and costume design by Karla Erenbots. The garish prints and disco silhouettes of the 1970s reflect the merriness of the play and Erenbots and Elston both draw on cultural references of the period for humour.
Read: Exhibition review: The Charge That Binds, ACCA
This is not a Shakespearean play that will make you fall in love with the Bard’s writing, but after 30-something years, the Australian Shakespeare Company is well-versed in delivering an enjoyable, crowd-pleasing show that continues the tradition of open air performance.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Australian Shakespeare Company
Director: Glenn Elston
Musical Director: Paul Norton
Choreographer: Sue-Ellen Shook
Cast: Alex Cooper, Maddie Somers, Hugh Sexton, Tony Rive, Callum O’Malley, Luke Lennox, Elizabeth Brennan, Anna Burgess, Tash Herbert, Scott Middleton, Claire Duncan, Dion Mills, Peter Houghton, Larissa Teale
Tickets: $35-$100
The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed until 25 January 2025.
