Arts reporter Adrian Mullen reviews The Merry Wives of Windsor.

EVERY now and then it's refreshing to remind oneself of the other side of the William Shakespeare coin - his wit.

No finer comic character did the Bard create than the portly Sir John Falstaff - jovial, scandalous, and larger than life in The Merry Wives of Windsor, as the RSC demonstrated at Kendal Leisure Centre this week.

As the hapless knight, Richard Cordery presents an awesome Falstaff, tricky, scheming and vain. Looking at his reflection in the ashtray he joyfully announces: "Good body, I thank thee."

Smitten and ready to seduce wealthy Windsorian Frank Ford's wife Alice (Clare Carrie) in a bid to improve his lot, he sends her a love letter.

For good measure, he sends the identical missive to George Page's wife Meg (Lucy Tregear), in which he audaciously and unwisely suggests that they are getting older.

And so, with great delight, the two close friends set out to prove they have lost none of their pluck or zest for life and through various assignations and mistaken identities turn the tables beautifully on Falstaff.

The rotund Windsor stag' is reduced to hiding in a basket, cross-dressing and finally humiliated in the misty world of Herne the Hunter, as the devious duo's husbands even join the deception.

Great acting is one of the hallmarks of the RSC, with particular note this time around is Greg Hicks as the hilarious "franch docteur" Dr Caius; Alison Fiske as go-between housekeeper, Mistress Quickly; and the hopeful suitors of Hannah Young's Anne Page, Slender (Adam Kay) and Fenton (Chuk Iwuji). Along with David Killick's Shallow, Falstaff and the marvellous merry wives and their spouses, this was one of the best Shakespeare comedies I've seen for some time.

A few tickets remain for the matinee performance at 1.30pm Saturday but the evening performance is sold out.

May 23, 2003 09:00