It feels like a long time since the Royal Shakespeare Company have performed a Shakespearean comedy, and so the current production of The Merry Wives of Windsor was a much needed breather from the darkness of Scottish moors and the tombs of ill-fated lovers. As with their recent productions of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, the play, its set and costumes, were modernised to add a 21st century relevance, but here, the worlds of Elizabethan bawdiness and Essex gaudiness came together in a fantastically farcical blend. Here's my thoughts.
The RSC's production of Merry Wives is unconventional in a number of ways. That it opens with a letter, read in voice-over by a projected animation of Queen Elizabeth to Shakespeare, requesting a new play, is just one of them. This nested narrative of a play-within-a-play finds its inspiration in the belief that Elizabeth the First, who loved the character of Falstaff so much from his first appearance in Henry IV, demanded the fat knight to be resurrected in a new play - one where he is in love. The story goes that the Bard only had two weeks to prepare this new comedy, drawing a despairing 'Oh no' from the Shakespeare voice-over which opens the play.
Unconventional, but a brave route to go down - and it pays off. This campy opening sets the tone for the rest of the play, reminding us that in Shakespeare's time, plays were the Netflix dramas of their day - a Queen could be addicted to farcical comedy as much as people today are addicted to reality TV. The campy style continues as the characters are introduced in a showy 'opening credits' sequence, before the drama begins. As we watch the action unfold, so does Elizabeth - a statue of the monarch is ever-present at the back of the stage, and even becomes a part of proceedings later in the play.
Merry Wives is one of those Shakespeare plays, like The Comedy of Errors, which really does need to be seen in performance. Jam-packed with multiple family groups, several ardent suitors, a whole pantheon of minor characters, as well as a good deal of disguises, duplicates, and mistaken identities, it can be difficult to keep up when reading it on the page. Remarkably, the actors in the RSC's 2018 production all had the ability to stand out in the sometimes crowded scenes, developing their character's own distinctive personalities and looks. Beth Cordingly and Rebecca Lacey were scene-stealers as the fiercely cunning wives, Mistress Ford and Page; the notes Vince Leigh didn't quite hit as Mr Ford, he made up for with his neurotic alter-ego Mr Brook.
In every character grouping, there was a stand-out: Tim Samuels gave depth as Shallow, his 'Chandler-esque' comedy timing and flirtatious quips towards Mr Page adding comedy to this otherwise flat character. Katy Brittain was a brilliantly brassy Hostess; Josh Finan bulked up his role as Nim with moments of explosive melodrama. It was wonderful to see Luke Newberry take on the role of hopeless romantic Fenton - a far cry from his mournful performance as Kieran Walker in In the Flesh, where I first became aware of him. This production never once dropped the ball or tangled the story's threads, meaning even the more minor characters could share in the limelight.
It might seem unconventional, too, to stylise a Shakespearean play after a modern pop-culture fad, especially one so 'love it or hate it' as The Only Way Is Essex. But the RSC has got the skill of modernising the classics down to a tee, and with Merry Wives it retains some aspects of Elizabethan staging, giving them a 21st-century twist which parodies both eras and adds a special relevance to young audiences of today. Elizabethan garments such as doublets, bodices, and ruffs, which would otherwise set the play in a particular time, incorporate pin-stripe material, Versace-eqsue patterns, and football jerseys (the work of Lez Brotherston, who was also the designer for the memorable 2017 RSC production of The Rover). The set is also decked out with a garish glamour: neon lights illuminate the timbers of the Tudor-style buildings; the internal decor includes white leather furnishings, and a mounted stag's head with gold antlers. It's gaudy, yes, but that's the point - we as the audience are caught in this strange Windsor-Essex bubble, where Welsh parsons do the floss and references are made to viral memes ('Fentonnnnn!') If anything, it's more entertaining than the TV shows it parodies.
And of course, we must mention the outstanding performance of Sir John Falstaff, by David Troughton. Last seen at the RSC in the titular role of Titus Andronicus in 2017, the versatile Troughton demonstrated an energy, stamina, and stage presence which translated onto the foolish, feverish Falstaff as perfectly as it did onto the tragically derailed Titus. From the moment he rose, rockstar-like, with his followers through the stage floor, he embodied the character with his entire being, and then some - he worked the fat suit, greasy wig, and unflattering costumes as if they were truly aspects of his person. The character's look echoed Anthony Sher's Falstaff of the 2015 RSC Henry IV, but with an added lechery which came with his being in love. If Queen Elizabeth had been present, no doubt she'd have been impressed with Troughton's performance of the roguish 'fat knight' she longed to see more of.
The Merry Wives of Windsor plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon until 22 September 2018, before transferring to the Barbican in London for a run which spans 7 December 2018 to 5 January 2019. It will be broadcast live to cinemas nationwide on 12 September 2018.
Photo credits:
All production photos of Merry Wives by Manuel Harlan, found here.
Production photo of Henry IV Part 1 by Kwame Lestrade, found here.
No comments:
Post a Comment