The Merry Wives of Windsor -
28th Oct to 1st Nov
"Why, then the world's mine
oyster - Which I with sword will open."
History
& Context
The Cast
Falstaff:
Ellis Nichols
Falstaff is a knight, but he is also a scoundrel and
occasionally a thief. In Henry IV, Part I, he was drinking
companion of the young Prince Henry. Falstaff is boisterous,
lively, cowardly, funny, and mischievous; he is one
of Shakespeare's most beloved creations, appearing in
several of his plays. In Wives, outside his element
in the countryside, Falstaff thinks he can get away
with seducing married women in order to gain access
to their husbands' cash. Hence he launches a plan to
seduce Mistress Page and Mistress Ford. However, they
are cleverer than he is and, on three separate occasions,
cause him to be humiliated, beaten, or dunked in a river.
Mistress
Ford: Ellie Tallent
A resident of Windsor, Mistress Ford is married to Ford
and is a friend of Mistress Page. When she and Mistress
Page both receive a seductive letter from Falstaff,
they decide to lead him on and ruin him. In the meantime,
Mistress Ford hopes to prove to her husband that she
is entirely faithful, so that he will get over his oppressive
jealousy.
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Ford:
Nigel Dams
Mistress Ford’s jealous husband. When he learns that
Falstaff intends to try to seduce his wife, he is sure
she'll fall for Falstaff and shame him. Hence he puts
on a disguise, calls himself Brooke, and goes to the Garter
Inn to find out about Falstaff's plans and his wife's
responses. During the play, he must learn to let go of
his jealousy, which he eventually manages to do.
Page:
Tony Bowman
Husband of Mistress Page. Page is not jealous of his wife,
so when he hears about Falstaff's plan, he doesn't think
she's likely to find Falstaff interesting. In comparison
to Ford, his easygoing attitude makes him look like a
wonderful husband, but he has other problems. He and his
wife disagree about who should marry their daughter Anne,
and neither are able to choose the suitor she likes.
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Mistress
Page: Sally Waghorn
A friend of Mistress Ford who also receives a seductive
letter from Falstaff. Mistress Page and her husband
disagree about who should marry their daughter, Anne
Page. She favors Caius, but her husband favors Slender;
Anne herself likes neither. However, both must learn
the lesson to listen to the romantic desires of their
daughter.
Anne
Page: Alex Newton
Daughter of Page and Mistress Page, Anne is
sought for in marriage by an array of idiots,
including Caius and Slender. Yet she chooses
Fenton and tricks her parents by managing to
elope with him. She defends her own choice and
returns triumphant to show up her parents, who
were too busy debating their own preferences
to listen to her.
Fenton:
Alex Gold
One of Anne Page's three suitors. He is the
one she favours, and the one to win her hand
in the end. He is also helped by Mistress Quickly.
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Sir Hugh
Evans: Martyn Lewis
Sir Hugh Evans is the local clergyman. He's Welsh, so
he speaks in an accent that the other English citizens
find very amusing. They make fun of him for it; finally
he and Caius band together to humiliate the Host after
he makes fools of them.
Dr. Caius:
Douglas Brown
The local doctor, Caius is Mistress Quickly's master.
He is French, so he suffers the same humiliation as Evans
because of his accent and broken English. He hopes to
marry Anne Page, and Mistress Page favors him, but Page
doesn't, and their conflicting schemes, combined with
the fact that Anne does not like him, disrupt his marriage
plans.
Mistress
Quickly: Victoria Paterson
Dr. Caius' servant, Mistress Quickly is everyone's
messenger. She goes to Falstaff at the behest
of Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, and she speaks
to Anne Page on behalf of all three of her suitors.
Yet she prefers Fenton and supports his suit most
readily. Mistress Quickly chronically misunderstands
or mishears other people, hearing sexually charged
conversations where there are none.
John Rugby:
Mike Paterson
Dr. Caius' servant and sword carrier.
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Slender:
Mike Williams
The third suitor for Anne Page's hand, Slender is urged
on by Shallow, but he is unable to speak anything but
nonsense to Anne. Page favors him as a good match for
his daughter, but Anne does not, and in the end he doesn't
get to marry her.
Shallow:
Chris Deacon
Shallow is a figure of the law, but nevertheless a foolish
character of misplaced authority. He urges Slender to
try to seduce Anne Page, even speaking for him at times.
Robin:
Abigail Paterson
One of Falstaff's followers. He acts a messenger
between Sir John and the wives, but is more
on their side than on Falstaff's.
Bardolph
Another of Falstaff's men, Bardolph takes over
as the bartender of the Garter Inn in order
to pay for Falstaff's entourage's room and board.
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Nym:
Jo Huddleston & Pistol
Falstaff's men, who want to stay honest, and refuse to
deliver Falstaff's seductive letters to Mistress Page
and Mistress Ford. Instead, Nim and Pistol decide to let
the husbands know of Falstaff's scheme.
Host:
Bernard Whelan
Host of the Garter Inn, the Host makes fun of Evans and
Caius's broken and accented English, so they decide to
get back at him by tricking him. Their ploy results in
the loss of three of the Host's horses.
William Page
Page's son, he meets Evans, who gives him an impromptu
Latin lesson which Mistress Quickly entirely mishears
as sexual innuendo.
Simple:
Isaac Sturt
Slender's servant.
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Director: Ian
Cullen
Assistant Director: Ann Wake
Stage Manager:
Frances Kirby
Costumes:
Lighting:
Sound:
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