The Merry Wives of Windsor: The Changeling Theatre Company  

Summer is just not summer without a theatre visit in the great outdoors. My local touring company – The Changeling – takes in some of the loveliest venues in the South East, wakes them up, shakes them up with its full-on, unique and powerful productions.

This year’s colourful fest was The Merry Wives of Windsor, a breathless, rip-roaring farce that was panto, slapstick and variety all in the space of three hours.

Rob Forknell’s typical inventive take on Shakespeare gave this under-rated play a fifties theme – quite right, too, as it tells the tale of the original rebellious teenager, Ann Page, who wins the man of her dreams, after flummoxing her parents’ ‘well-laid’ plans.

The bijou cast was full of energy with the star Falstaff, played with awesome energy by Henry Everett.

With a simple set, The Changeling shows that theatre is all about imaginative story-telling. Next year is The Comedy of Errors. Can’t wait!

Review by
Lesley Finlay