THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200046
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, THEATER CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
THE SUCCESS of any production of ``The Merry Wives of Windsor'' is almost totally dependent on finding an effective actor to play the jolly, rotund and decadent Sir John Falstaff, who may be the greatest comic figure in English literature.
Happily, the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, in the comedy side of its 17th repertory season, has found just such a presence in Robert Larry Miller. Miller looks the part - red-nosed, ruddy-faced, portly but not obese. He's believable as a rounder who might have been a knight once but is now more interested in the night.
Comedic Shakespeare in general and the role of Falstaff in particular have suffered excessive flailings of the arms and desperate muggings from most modern companies. Quite a few of the excesses have been on the stage of Phi Beta Kappa Hall. Pleasingly, the present company, under the direction of the festival's founding executive director Jerry H. Bledsoe, has foregone physical exertion in favor of emphasizing the language itself. This is not a safe risk; the first act, in particular, is notably lacking in obvious laughs.
This is not one of Shakespeare's brightest comedic evenings. Saddled with a script that must sell wood sprites and body pinching as a comedic finale, the cast of some 30 players are surprisingly restrained.
One suspects that ``The Merry Wives of Windsor'' was the uninspired sequel of its day. Queen Liz, who adored Falstaff, reportedly demanded more, so he returned in this rather flimsy outing. The merry wives of the title are outraged by his lewd overtures and plot a three-part revenge to punish Falstaff - a series that lengthens the evening beyond the bounds of comfort.
The play is deceptively difficult, both to perform and endure, because Shakespeare wrote so many contradictory word games into it. The characters often misunderstand each other, presenting a real challenge to the modern ear.
The cast presents us with humorous choices. Janet Mylott is an earthy and ultra-natural Mistress Quickly. Donald J. Bledsoe essays a hilariously unlikely French accent as Dr. Caius. A similarly unlikely accent is tried, to comic effect, by Jeremy Wilcox as Sir Hugh Evans. Is it Welsh, or what? Ken Ritter has a showy turn as a jealous husband. Michael Strzepek has a scene-stealing outing as the fop to end all fops, Abraham Slender.
The whole thing ends with hefty wood sprites spilling over into the audience in a midnight assignation, beautifully lit by Charles Houghton. Patricia M. Wesp's costumes are, as usual, a great boon.
Comedy is usually the downfall of this venerable festival. It is a turnabout this year that the comedy fares better than the rather tame villainy of ``Richard III'' on alternate nights. Save some extra change for nifty VSF souvenirs, on sale during intermission in the Dodge Room. You might be the first on your block to sport a Shakespeare bumper sticker.
The whole thing is staged in the 750-seat Phi Beta Kappa Hall which is, mercifully, air-conditioned. This is the same hall where presidential candidates, such as Carter and Reagan, once debated on national TV (a reminder that ``The Merry Wives of Windsor'' is not such an unlikely plot after all). ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GLEASON/VISCOM
From left, Tracy Larson as Mistress Page, Larry Miller as Falstaff
and Kamara Thomas as Mistress Ford in ``The Merry Wives of
Windsor.''
by CNB