The Rochester Community Players’ Shakespeare Program, now in its 27th summer of presenting Shakespeare in the Park, is known for bringing the Bard’s late 16th- and early 17th-century English plays a bit closer to home with fresh, surprising takes.
This summer’s offering is a lively production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” playing at Highland Bowl through July 29. Under the skillful direction of Jonathan Lowery, this lesser-known Shakespeare farce has been transformed into a treasure trove of 1980s pop culture references.
As audience members set up their lawn chairs and blankets in Highland Bowl, they are greeted by a playlist of iconic 80s hits, including songs by Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, and Prince. These upbeat tunes liven the scene changes throughout the night with clever commentary on the action. Props and staging give a visual nod to movies of the era such as “Caddyshack” and “Say Anything.”
The Garter Inn of Shakespeare’s original text becomes Garter’s Bar, and Madame Ford’s bedroom is plastered with retro blue patterned wallpaper. Love letters important to the plot take the form of tape recordings bookended with the saxophone solo in George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.” (The whole playlist is on Spotify, below.)
This nostalgic backdrop infuses “Merry Wives” with an infectious energy the play sorely needs. There are many reasons this play is among the Bard’s less frequently produced comedies, including a cringe-inducing plot featuring a man deciding to sleep with other men’s wives as well as tasteless jokes mocking both obesity and a man in a dress.
According to theater history lore, Queen Elizabeth asked Shakespeare to write a play featuring her favorite comic character from his history plays, the conceited knight Sir John Falstaff, in love. This play shows Falstaff not so much in love as in lecherous greed as he plots to seduce two women in hopes of getting access to their husbands’ money.
Falstaff (played by Wyatt Doremus) is sharp-witted, charismatic, and terribly selfish and vain. Exactly the type of self-absorbed man you’d like to see get his comeuppance. When Mistress Alice Ford (played by Lizz K. d) and Mistress Margaret Page (played by Grace Judge) realize he has written the same love letter to both of them, they plot revenge to humiliate him. Meanwhile, Mistress Ford’s deeply jealous husband (played by Edward Byrne) uses a false identity to pay Falstaff to seduce his wife and prove her disloyalty.
One of the highlights of the production is K. d and Judge’s chemistry. Their rapport is delightful as they set up schemes Falstaff is too foolish to recognize as traps. The ‘80s setting allows these merry wives to fully embrace their agency and independence — they have better things to worry about than what their husbands are thinking.
A secondary plot focuses on finding a husband for Margaret Page’s daughter Anne. Anne (played by Regan Collins) fits the trope of a teen rebelling against her parents, donning a chic black hat evocative of Molly Ringwald. Her mother hopes she will marry Abraham Slender (played by Ben Gillooly as a goofball straight out of “National Lampoon”). Her father, meanwhile, favors Dr. Caius (played by David Byrne). These two wealthy suitors duel it out while Anne falls in love with the poor but boyishly charming Fenton (played by Albby Rodriguez).
Both storylines rise in absurdity, culminating in a fever dream of a final scene involving characters dressed as supernatural creatures tromping through the forest and a whole lot of deer puns.
It’s always a delight to see productions showcasing multi-generational casts of community members, ranging from high school students to grandparents. All 14 actors in this cast have a solid grasp on the centuries-old language and deliver their lines with fresh, contemporary energy. Under Lowery’s direction, the cast has uncovered Shakespeare’s many blink-or-you’ll-miss-it puns and innuendos.
With free admission (donations encouraged), the entertainment and artistry go above and beyond the price of the ticket. This production offers a lively evening for fans of Shakespeare, ‘80s aficionados, or anyone who likes watching a cast of capable actors having so much fun on an outdoors stage it’s hardly noticeable when the sun slips away and gets replaced with stage lights.
Katherine Varga is a freelance contributor to CITY. Feedback about this article can be directed to leah@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2023.
