The Merry Wives of Windsor - one of Shakespeare’s most relatable comedies - plays at the RSC this month under the direction of Blanche McIntyre, who has coaxed laughs and meaning from every inch of the play. 

Most of Shakespeare’s works concern nobility and royal life, while this play is set in middle-class suburbia - in Windsor, unsurprisingly. It’s also a Shakespeare spin-off, featuring Sir John Falstaff, a wise-cracking knight. The character first appeared leading Prince Hal astray in Henry IV, and now, Falstaff (played superbly by John Hodgkinson) is down on his luck - and his finances. He decides to woo the wives of two wealthy Windsor locals, in the hopes of making a fast buck. 

The wives in question, Mistress Ford (Siubhan Harrison) and Mistress Page (Samantha Spiro), are definitely not keen to accept his advances, and decide to take their revenge on Falstaff by reeling him in and humiliating him. When Falstaff’s plans of seduction reach their husbands, George Page (Wil Johnson) doesn’t believe a word of it, but Frank Ford (Richard Goulding), is consumed by jealousy, and chooses to act and discover the truth. He starts airing his dirty laundry in more ways than one.

The set, designed by Robert Innes Hopkins, is fantastic - firmly planting the story in suburbia, with Mock-Tudor frontages revolving on the stage to reveal different locations. McIntyre’s version also highlights the class divide in Windsor society, where the manicured Page and Ford households contrast with Falstaff and his cronies causing a ruckus in the pub. 

As usual in a Shakespeare comedy, there are multiple subplots which weave together neatly by the end of the play. Mistress Page’s daughter Anne (Tara Tijani) is due to be married off: will it be the hilarious and bumbling Slender (Patrick Walshe McBride), volatile French Doctor Caius (Jason Thorpe), or excitable Fenton (John Leader)? Mistress Quickly (Shazia Nicholls), who is the eternal go-between for these plots, vows to help all three.

The play has a feeling of good-natured hijinks from start to finish. The Merry Wives are in complete control of their schemes, and all the female characters seem to come out on top. It’s a great celebration of female intelligence, wit and friendship. The men look on - providing great comedy relief through slapstick fun, Falstaff’s wordplay - he’s got some great lines - and Ford’s mounting rage. 

The majority of this company will also be performing in Sheridan’s The School for Scandal from Tuesday 2 July: they’ve got a busy summer ahead! If last night is anything to go by, both productions will be a real treat.

Five Stars

The Merry Wives of Windsor was reviewed on Wednesday 12 June by Jessica Clixby, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, where it runs until Saturday 7 September.