Make Like a Wife and Be Merry
May 3, 2011 by Hedonista · Leave a Comment
They say that if one loves what one does for a living, it really can’t be called “work.” If that’s the case, it’s also likely that success will follow. William Shakespeare appears to fit into that category, for the “Bard of Avon” is often touted as one of the best writers in the history of the world. He wrote numerous works of poetry and prose, including 154 sonnets and close to 40 surviving plays. (Talk about hedonistically prolific.) He was also arguably one of the earliest fantasy writers, who often wrote comedies and tragedies based on whimsy, sexuality, and historical fiction. In fact, on only one occasion did Shakespeare write a play based on his contemporary times of the Elizabethan era: The Merry Wives of Windsor, which was written circa 1597.
The oh-so-merry wives (left to right): Candace Vance as Mistress Ford and Leslie Law as Mistress Page. Photo by John Ulman, provided by the Seattle Shakespeare Company and used with permission.
From April 20th to May 15th, 2011, the Seattle Shakespeare Festival is performing that very play. (Your Hedonista recently attended on a media invitation.) The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedic play about the soap-opera-like dramas that can ensue within English middle class life. Directed by Terry Edward Moore – a founding member of Seattle Shakespeare Company who returned to direct the last play of their 20th Anniversary season – this play is one filled with comical lust, seduction, intrigue, jealousy, suspicion, and playful revenge. Here, Scenic Designer Jason Phillips gives a nod to Shakespeare’s contemporary setting: the stage is designed to emulate the Blackfriars Theatre, which was the indoor winter playhouse of Shakespeare’s acting troupe, the King’s Men. They even incorporate live sound effects and early stagecraft techniques, although electricity is still used (which no doubt pleased Lighting Designer Kent Cubbage.) The costumes were not only period-appropriate, but gorgeous, with kudos going to Costume Designer Deane Middleton.
Two neighboring wives by the names of Mistress Ford (played by Candace Vance) and Mistress Page (played by Leslie Law) wreak havoc with the hopes, dreams, and libido of Sir John Falstaff (played by John Patrick Lowrie), a lovable, roguish scoundrel who resembles the black sheep of the Santa Claus family. The cast of characters were likeable, thoroughly entertaining, and came off as both casual and comfortable on stage, in a way one would imagine the theatre troupes in Shakespeare’s day performed.
Performances of The Merry Wives of Windsor take place on Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m., with weekend matinées at 2:00 p.m. Tickets range in price from $20-$40 per ticket, with group discounts available. Note that this is the fifth and final play of their 2010-2011 20th Anniversary season, which included Hamlet, Wittenberg, Chamber Cymbeline, and The Threepenny Opera. This means that the 2011-2012 season’s line-up is fast approaching: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (to be directed by Sheila Daniels), Coriolanus (their first-time production of this play), Pygmalion (their first Shaw play) and As you Like It (to be directed by the Theatre’s Interim Artistic Director George Mount). So, if you are so inclined, be sure to go online for the 2011-2012 seasons tickets subscription packages, or call the ticket office at (206) 733-8222. Packages range in price from $64 to $144 for the four main stage productions. (Individual tickets will become available in September, dear hedonists.)
Free Outdoor Performances: Also take heed that the Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Wooden O – the result of a merger in 2008 – will offer free outdoor productions of Macbeth (directed by Tim Hyland) and The Comedy of Errors (directed by Wooden O’s Artistic Director, George Mount), which will be performed in parks located throughout the Puget Sound – including Seattle, Mercer Island, Edmonds, Sammamish, Lynwood, SeaTac, Issaquah, and Shoreline – beginning July 7th and running through August, 2011.
