Review of "Merry Wives of Windsor" from LA Weekly Website of Jan. 28th, 2010

The Current production of "Merry Wives of Windsor" now running at the Lyric Theater in Hollywood is a wonderful romp through one of Shakespeare's most well known comedy farces.

This version of "Merry Wives of Windsor" is billed as Shakespeare meets Deadwood by way of Blazing Saddles. By the uproarious audience response it received the night I saw it, Saturday Jan. 23rd, it meets all of that.

The Direction by Richard Tatum was very tight. Combined with the minor editing and updating of the script by Bonnie Snyder, this version brings the play from Elizabethan England to the old west of Colorado. Without changing any of the text very much at all, this transition to the old west worked very well. The pace sizzled and snapped throughout.

For a relatively intimate space in the Lyric Theater, the nice set and light design (Allan Jensen, set and Irina Khodorkovsky lights) transports us nicely into the old west. Complete with good ole' ho down country square dancin' music as the soundtrack. Christopher Moscatiello/Christina Ownby

The plot takes Sir John Falstaff, played wonderfully by the exceptionally strong performance of Leo Weltman through a wild and hysterically funny ride of misfortune at the hands of the "Merry Wives", Terra Taylor as Mistress Ford, and Dorrie Braun as Mistress Page. Weltman's strong comic timing pays off well combined with the good performances of the wives and husbands. The husbands being played by Alexander Stephano as Master Ford with great humor in his jealousy, and Andrew Thacher as Master Page with an excellent job of anchoring the mayhem.

For the most part, the Cast handles the language of Shakespeare quite well in being brought to the audience in a very accessible style that makes it easy for even the non Shakespeare enthusiast to understand the comedy that is afoot. A feat not easy to pull off, yet pulled off nicely by the majority of this cast.

There were also some very nice performances delivered by other members of the cast, including Bonnie Snyder as the long winded Mistress Quickly, and Derek Long as the Welsh Clergyman Hugh Evans. Hugo Garcia playing multiple servants with great physical comedy which also added depth to this cast.

Mention should also go to members of the sub plot dealing with the three suitors to Ann Page played nicely by the very attractive Stephanie Skewes. The three suitors being Josh Evans as Fenton, Thomas Colby as Dr. Caius, and Ulysses Mitchie as Slender. Other members of the cast included Michael Mc Adam and Becky Birdsong.

The only possible flaws in this production is a bit of unbalanced casting in some of the cast, including actors that were double cast in different roles with not a lot of variance between the multiple roles they played. This made for a little bit of confusion as to which character we were seeing at certain times.

Then of course, there were certain flaws in the time lines that are not any fault of this production, as they are known flaws in the bard's script that make "Merry Wives" not one of Shakespeare's most intriguing and well devised plots. Though this particular cast proves it can be a very energetic and enjoyable piece of theater to watch despite it's simplicity.

Also, the costumes of costumer Azniv Azizyan were a bit inconstant for the time period, and were somewhat unbalanced through the cast. In one instance in particular, loosing a great bit of the humor that is inherent in the script with the arrival of the "witch" of Brentford. A built in visual piece of comedy that was a little lost in this production as a result of her costume choices.

Setting that unbalance aside, the only real negative, is the poor street parking that exists around the Theater. It would be advisable to attend on Friday and Saturday nights when the parking is far better in that part of Hollywood then it is for the Sunday matinee.

All in all, this is an outstanding production, with a great energy, and an amazing Falstaff leading a good ensemble. All of which, is the key to making this show work. It is a show that should be seen by all.