SUPPOSEDLY written at the specific request of Queen Elizabeth 1 who wanted to see more of the character of Sir John Falstaff, this comedy of greed, lust and jealousy has become a summer staple, including as it does attempted seduction (of the eponymous wives), an impoverished knight, stereotypical foreigners, a jealous husband, and young lovers.
But TFT like to mix it up a bit and here we saw the two wives played by men (Josh Coats and Russell Churcher in a ‘Hinge and Bracket’ double-act) and Director Kevin Fraser as a pantomime dame Mistress Quickly.
As Sir John Falstaff, Malcolm Bain was a likeable (and pitiable) figure, with flowing beard and lilting Scottish accent, and the butt of all manner of cruel tricks.
But this over-long production should have been judiciously edited, and too often the action ground to a halt with late entrances and unnecessary ad-libbed dialogue”.
Ed Howson
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