MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR


For many, it is regarded as the forefather of the modern TV sitcom. The Merry Wives of Windsor swaps Basil Fawlty for Falstaff in a production packed with physical gags and OTT characters.


The highly-acclaimed Globe production is coming to Norwich Theatre Royal. John Bultitude finds out what is in store in a production linking hilarity, history – and Hollyoaks.


With its reputation worldwide and its pivotal place in the pantheon of theatrical history, the Globe has ticked off most theatrical milestones.


But it is now adding another to its list with a major tour, taking its acclaimed production of The Merry Wives of Windsor to Norwich Theatre Royal on November 23 - 27.


The production was a critical and commercial success whilst performed at the Globe last summer, and this tour is likely to be no exception.


Featuring many of the characters from Henry IV parts one and two, it follows the story of the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, who believes two women have fallen for him.


He sets out to seduce them both for his own personal gratification and with half an eye on their husbands’ money – but the women turn the tables on him in humorous fashion, with the aid of a damp and very smelly laundry basket.


The play boasts a perfect sitcom scenario, with critics and eminent Shakespeare scholars all saying this play laid the foundations for generations of small-screen comedy classics like Fawlty Towers.


What would you be doing if you weren’t talking to us now? Probably sewing my pointe shoes to get them ready for The Nutcracker performances.


Have you performed in Norwich before? If so, what do you enjoy about it? Yes, many times before. Norwich is one of the few places where the Company gets together and goes out. We love going to Pedro’s in Chapelfield


OF THE FEW PLACES WHERE THE COMPANY GETS TOGETHER AND GOES OUT


NORWICH IS ONE


Gardens after the show, putting on a sombrero and eating good food.


How would you spend your ideal day? I’d pack up a picnic and go to the beach with my fiancé. I love doing things like that; it reminds me of days in the summer holidays spent amongst


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Taking on the role of one of Shakespeare’s best comedy creations is Christopher Benjamin. He has a large number of performing credits including Henry IV part one at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, the national tour of Twelfth Night and A Voyage Around My Father at the Donmar Warehouse and Wyndhams Theatre.


He will star opposite Serena Evans, who is best known for her role as Sergeant Dawkins in TV’s The Thin Blue Line as well as a wide range of stage work including Once In A Lifetime for the National Theatre.


Meanwhile, one of the newest additions to the cast


family – with plenty of my Nan’s delicious sandwiches!


In moments of weakness I… Reach for the white chocolate chip cookies and put on a cheesy film.


What would your motto be? Why put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do today? I like to tick things off my ‘to do’ list so that I can sit down and relax at the end of the day.


In Dominic’s tenure, and that of previous artistic director Mark Rylance, the theatre has continued to present and celebrate the work of the Bard. Dominic explained: “The Globe has worked its way through much of Shakespeare’s canon, providing a huge wealth of insights into each Shakespeare play when it is presented afresh in the architecture he wrote for.”


It is this work to ensure Shakespeare is enjoyed by as many people as possible which is the ethos behind the tour of what is arguably Britain’s earliest sitcom.


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is former Hollyoaks actor Gerard McCarthy, who will play Fenton. In a very clear change from his role as the soap’s controversial cross-dresser, Kris, he is looking forward to his new on-stage role, saying: “The Merry Wives Of Windsor is a hilarious play, and I’m looking forward to working with such an exceptional cast, directed by Christopher Luscombe.”


The Merry Wives will continue Norwich’s long- running Luscombe link, with large amounts of his work being performed here in recent months. His directing monopoly includes Enjoy, The History Boys and The Rocky Horror Show – with Spamalot and The Merry Wives of Windsor still to come.


Christopher is very excited to be taking his production out on the road and has been highlighting the high quality of the cast. Using the casting of Gerard as an example, he explained: “The audition for Fenton was quite a test. We needed a handsome, witty young actor who could handle some really tricky Shakespearean verse, play the guitar and sing beautifully!


“We cast the net far and wide, but


Gerard was the clear winner - he made it all look easy, which is a great gift. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”


Gerard is the latest in a long line of actors to be part of the Globe performing family, carrying on a legacy of performing linked to the famous London site for generations.


The very first Globe was built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company ‘The Lord Chamberlain’s Men’, before being destroyed by fire in 1613. A second theatre was built on the site the following year, before being closed in 1642.


The current Globe Theatre – a reconstruction of the original – was opened in 1997, a short distance away from its original home. The project was the brainchild and passion of the late Sam Wanamaker, who sadly died before his project was complete.


The American actor spent twenty-three years tirelessly fundraising, researching and planning the reconstruction plus accompanying exhibition and education centre.


The Globe’s current artistic director, Dominic Dromgoole, said: “In the years since his death, Sam’s dreams have flourished and manifested themselves in what have finally become the vibrant International Shakespeare’s Globe Centre. It is a centre dedicated to Shakespearean, Elizabethan and other theatre through the production of an ambitious and lively theatre season, a dynamic and varied education programme and a rich and interesting exhibition.”


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