Review #2 of 2: The Merry Wives of Windsor by The Baron's Men
by Michael Meigs

 

Fat Sir John Falstaff may be the greatest of Shakespeare's creations, in the opinion of the late, also great literary critic Harold Bloom. Bloom wrote in his 2017 book-length essay Falstaff - Give Me Life:

 

Falstaff is the everliving. I wonder that the greatest wit in literature should be chastised for his vices since all of them are perfectly open and cheerfully self-acknowledged. Supreme wit is one of the highest cognitive powers. [. . . ] Falstaff is the embassy of life.

 

In the merry romp The Merry Wives of Windsor, the Baron's Men provide a Falstaff who's mentioned not even a single time in Bloom's 157 pages: a blubbery, libidinous goof who gets snared three times, one after another, as he clumsily pursues two married women who just happen to be BFF. Julio Mella's eyes sparkle as he goes through Falstaff's downfalls. His Falstaff is like one of those inflatable round-bottom clown balloons that pop back up with a grin every time one slaps its face.

 

Knowing that much in advance, you'll enjoy this unusual Shakespeare work. Its loose framework, incongruities, and stark contrast with the seriousness of the Henry IV and Henry V plays indicate it was written in a hurry, probably in 1597, for presentation at court. Despite a couple of references to the Henry plays (the first already produced, the second perhaps still in draft), it's set in Shakespeare's contemporary England. And it's in prose, not in verse.

 

I enjoy fat Jack and the merry wives. I reviewed The Weird Sisters' 2008 all-female staging at Austin's Vortex and in 2016 Susan Gayle Todd's production at this same venue, the Scottish Rite Theatre. For each, the key was to keep the action spinning at farce tempo. Once it gets going, The Baron's Men company does just that. That's impressive, especially since unexpected absences in two major secondary roles obliged the group to draft sonorous Chris Casey into one and director Michael Osborn into the other. Those performances were impressive. Experienced and unintimidated, both created full characters and voices, discreetly checking their promptbooks from time to time. 

 

The piece opens as Robert Shallow indignantly complains to friends that Falstaff's knaves emptied his pockets as he was in a drunken stupor. Sir John and his supporters promptly turn up and defy them. It's meant to be comic; that's indicated by the malapropisms. But the opening episode essentially disappears from the script, leaving tongue-tied Shallow to moon over young, eligible Mistress Ann Page.

 

Then follows the meat of the dish: short of funds and long on libido, Falstaff devises a text and dispatches it separately to woo both Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page. Surprised and offended, the wives share the news and determine to hoax the fat knight. Meanwhile, Falstaff's minions Nym and Pistol, offended for no explained reason, march off and inform the husbands. This is the central line of the plot, and Falstaff will be tormented thrice: stuffed in a laundry basket to be dumped into the Thames, cudgeled thoroughly, and, finally, pinched and prodded by sprites and faeries. Subordinate to this plot, a couple of feuding foreigners come close to an armed duel, and young Ann Page manages to slip away from suitors favored by mommy and daddy, to marry her favorite instead.

 

 

Renée Osborn and Lindsay Palinsky glint and sparkle as the successfully conspiring honorable matrons. One could easily imagine them at Genuine Jo's, laughing aloud while dishing it out over lattes. Julio Mella gives us a Falstaff who's no wit, for his self-satisfaction lends him a happy, foolish credulity. As always with this company, the costumes are gorgeous Elizabethan garb, done by Dawn Allee-Hemphill and a team that included both female leads. 

 

Lorin Mavis Craft as Mistress Quickly, the go-between, shared qualities with the real Jack Falstaff, for she had much of his self-confidence, eye for advantage, and amorality (triple-dealing with suitors!). 

 

But it's all play in this Falstaff's world, and no one's allowed to hold grudges!  Both Pages consent to Ann's unexpected marriage choice; jealous Ford leans to trust his wife and believe in her virtue. And Julio Mella, crested with horns, comes to stand amazed in the midst of the magically appearing forest of beautifully painted back drops. He's  teased but not for a moment repentent. Explanations and dénouement resolve all. This Falstaff's no Malvolio; he keeps his silly grin and optimistic outlet, and the company segues into its jig and drinking song.

 

EXTRA

Click here to view the Baron's Men's full program for The Merry Wives of Windsor

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The Merry Wives of Windsor
by William Shakespeare
The Baron's Men

April 23 - May 10, 2026

Scottish Rite Theatre, 18th and San Jacinto, Austin

Tickets via www.thebaronsmen.org