There is something special, almost spiritual, about traveling to Stratford-upon-Avon to see a play. It is a sort of a pilgrimage for any theatre lover to the birthplace of British Theatre. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre perched magnificently between the lovely river and the quaint buildings of the ancient town has, like the plays themselves, seen many changes since one was first opened there in 1879. It is now a curious mix of the 1932 structure and the 2007 renovation which converted it from a proscenium arch to a huge thrust stage and added the wonderful Rooftop restaurant with the original walls forming partitions between tables. It may not be a Wooden O but the auditorium certainly nods to Shakespeare description of the famous Globe Playhouse.

This visit has added interest being the first full season of the new Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, and promises to open a new chapter, if not to establish the Royal Shakespeare Company as the force it once was. Later in the season, they present Pericles, As You Like It, Othello, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet. So it was with some anticipated excitement that we settled into our seats to watch the production of The Merry Wives of Windsor last night, a comedy set in England and written around the character of Falstaff from the Henry IV and V plays.

The impressive set design by Robert Innes Hopkins reinforces that anticipation transporting us to a quintessential English setting with green lawns and timber framed buildings and hedgerows. Throughout, the settings are slickly and cleverly staged to create the locations around the town of Windsor with a revolve, a stage trap for furniture and flown elements. The signage tells us we are in a modern period. From the first appearance of some members of the twenty-two strong cast as a group of yobs pushing a shopping trolley, we know we are in the modern day and their frequent appearances traversing the thrust stage between scenes in animated merriment prolongs the production from the advertised two and half hours to a lengthy overly long three hours.

It is left to the four central characters to tell the story (as much as there is a plot) and engage the audience. Thankfully, the four actors have the experience, stage presence and clarity of speech to successful delver their roles. John Hodgkinson is magnificent as the boastful, portly and disreputable Sir John Falstaff, from his first appearance well-groomed and besuited to his comeuppance in the woods when “made an ass” he dominates the stage, breaks the fourth wall (and second and third walls) with the simplest of looks and grimaces that engage and amuse the audience, while we love to despise his behaviour. The two women he pursues who engineer his exposure are beautifully played by Siubhan Harrison as the temptress Mistress Ford, with Samatha Spiro as her confederate plotter Mistress Page. Their scenes together, planning and executing his entrapment, are a delight and the comedy between the three is cleverly executed and great fun. The fourth character Frank Ford, and his alter ego Mr Brooks, is played by Richard Goulding with an earnestness, jealousy and naivety that is believable and credible.

Around them are a collection of stereotypes that feel like they have been lifted from Eighties and Nineties TV sitcoms such as ‘Allo ‘Allo, Sorry, and The Young Ones. Or perhaps those classics themselves had their roots in Shakespeare’s writing. However, much of the language is delivered in a rush, sounding a little garbled and played in a laboured way. Only Patrick Walshe McBride as the bashful Slender stands out and his comic talents seem wasted in the role, hopefully we will see more of his in the next production from this company.

A slightly disappointing modern updating of classic Shakespeare comedy.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Nick Wayne