Performed against the backdrop of the picturesque Roman outdoor theatre, OVO’s version of The Merry Wives of Windsor weaves the comic Shakespearean play with an upbeat 80s soundtrack to deliver a fun and farcical evening.

Adam Nichols has impressively revived the Shakespearean script with updated humour, incorporating an ageing minor celeb, a burger van, and a wheelie bin to make the prose more accessible. The script sticks mainly to the original language, with a twist of current day to assist. To start with, this is a lot to follow, even for those familiar with the story. With jumps between old and new (1980s and 1600s) speech and song, it takes a little while to join the flow of the piece and appreciate the skill which has gone into rewriting this play. After a short time, the rhythm becomes clearer and ultimately the old and new meld together well, demonstrating that Merry Wives translates neatly to the modern day, with tones of deceit, gossip, revenge and middle class mischief, all feeling very contemporary.

The ensemble cast work hard to deliver the musical numbers peppered throughout. The packed selection of 80s ballads performed by the rock style band are all punchy, though some of the quieter cast members struggle to be heard over the robust band accompaniment.

Alexander McMorran is entirely convincing as Falstaff, the lecherous cad, holding the audience’s attention from the off, with the stand-out performance delivered by Savannah Beckford as Stella Quickly. With slick comic timing, a strong voice, fantastic execution (including the prose) and some hilarious ad-libbing with the audience, Beckford’s engaging and uplifting delivery elevates the show.

With local jokes and audience chat aplenty, Merry Wives feels panto-esque with its slapstick, humour-packed script, all of which makes for a thoroughly entertaining evening spent at the unique Roman theatre.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Cara Brazier

The Merry Wives of Windsor plays at St Albans’ OVO Theatre until 28 July, with further info here.