Even now, centuries later, the machinations and pratfalls of the characters written by William Shakespeare are as timely and entertaining as ever.
Consider the major themes of the selection for this year’s fifth annual Bainbridge Performing Arts’ outdoor summertime performance, “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Love, greed, revenge, social standings and wealth distribution — all concerns very familiar to today’s America, broadcast to us from the past by a British man who most definitely knew how to give an audience what they want.
Though not critically considered some of Shakespeare’s best stuff, the play has proven a popular comedy for more than 400 years. It features the return of one of the Bard’s best-loved creations, the scheming, boastful, greedy cowardly knight Sir John Falstaff (played by John Ellis). The story follows a decidedly different version of that character from his earlier incarnation in “Henry IV,” now more a lovable, buffoonish scoundrel than a Machiavellian ladder-climber, as, hard up for money and seeking to restore his riches, he sends identical love letters to two wealthy wives (Jennifer Hodges and Ali Budge).
Of course, the wise, (temporarily) wooed Windsor women do see through his schemes eventually, and set him up for some hilariously sweet revenge.
Kristi Ann Jacobson, making her BPA directorial debut, helms a cast of familiar favorites and newcomers, including Pete Benson, Matt Eldridge, Max Martina, Gary Fetterplace, Jeanette Oswald, Citori Luecht, Isaac Ettobi, Derek Villanueva, George Shannon, Alex Sanso, Geoff Schmidt, Victoria Brown, Evelyn Cantwell, Garrett Guse, Ben Eldridge and Chapple Langemack.
A self-described Shakespeare “nerd” who has been involved behind the scenes in every BPA summertime Shakespeare show, Jacobson said “The Merry Wives of Windsor” gets a bad rep amongst theater folks because it’s a decidedly demanding comedy for all involved — but one well worth the effort.
She, in fact, requested it.
“It’s my favorite play,” she said.
“There’s a couple different reasons. It has all my favorite funny moments, pranks, jokes. He pulls out all the stops or steals from all his plays in this one. He’s got the funny bits, the physical bits, the funny language. He’s got tricks being played on people. He’s got some mistaken identity.
“It’s a different setting, so it’s very specific,” Jacobson said. “It’s kind of hard to move it out of Windsor. It’s also set in a specific time period, so it’s kind of hard to move it out of that time period.”
The necessity of the specifics has led some to shy away from the play, Jacobson said, because many prefer Shake-spearian adaptations these days — not strict revivals.
“A lot of the other plays, people can stick it in China,” she said. “Or put it in whatever time period they want. This one’s a bit more specific. So I think that’s one of the reasons that a lot of people don’t do it, because it is so specific.”
The play is further unique, the director said, for its comparatively feminist nature.
“You’ve got lead women who are pretty much in charge of the whole action,” Jacobson said. “They’re kind of the instigators of the forward action. A lot of the other Shakespeare plays that have women leads in it, especially the comedies, are usually an ingénue dressed as a man and their sidekick comes along for the ride, or the woman who falls in love with the young ingénue dressed as a man.”
Many among the cast agree that “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is more rewarding for its demands and strictness.
“It’s actually quite complex, the way he’s written it,” said Fetterplace, who plays Doctor Caius, returning now for his fourth summertime Shakespeare show. “There’s lots of different characters, so from an acting point of view even a small part is a great part. Everyone gets their chance to do a bit of something on stage.”
Benson, who plays the husband of Mistress Ford, said some of the comedy routines border on “a Three Stooges episode,” which serves as counterbalance to some of what would be the show’s more revolutionary elements.
“There’s this emerging middle class; this is a new thing at this era,” he said. “It was a time when women could control the purse strings for their houses, and that was something new.
“They’d go out and have their own relationships and it was a time when we had a queen instead of a king,” he added. “Shakespeare was definitely trying to keep that in mind and show the power of women.”
The comedy classic will take the stage outdoors, in the back meadow at the Bloedel Reserve, with shows on July 7-9, July 13-16, and July 20-23. All performances are at 7 p.m.
Tickets, $25 for adults, and $20 for seniors, students, youth, military and teachers, may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperforming arts.org, by phone at 206-842-8569 or in person at BPA (200 Madison Ave. North). BPA box office hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance.
