Merry Wives
At Shakespeare Theatre Company's Harman Hall.
This adaption of Merry Wives is an interesting take on a classic. Some will enjoy, some may not. It is set in modern-day Harlem, New York. There is a great synopsis of the play in the program and I suggest to fully appreciate the play, you should read it before you go. It will help you to make much more sense of what you are seeing and hearing from the start. It might have just been me, but the Shakespearian vibe, and cast accents, made it a little hard to follow until you got used to it.
Now, even if you don’t fully appreciate this adaption, and how they transferred Shakespeare to modern day Harlem, (by the end I did fully appreciate it), you will definitely appreciate the work of the incredibly talented creative team who worked on this production.
The scenic design by Lawrence E. Moten III, is brilliant His Harlem street scene, and the use of lifts, dropping scenery from above to create rooms, and bringing up full sets on a lift elevator at the front of the stage, is quite amazing. Then there are the costumes by Ivania Stack. They are so eye catching, they actually compete for your attention with the actors who are wearing them, in every scene. Add to that the wig and hair design by Nikita Mathis; and wonderful choreography by Ashleigh King; and you already have a wonderful night in the theater, without even worrying about the play.
Then of course there are the actors. They are uniformly talented with the main characters of Falstaff, Jacob Ming-Trent; Madam NKechi Ford, Felicia Curry; and Madam Ekua Page, Oneika Phillips; holding your attention every minute they are on stage. Now while I recognize their talent and comedic abilities, I think the ladies may have sometimes actually over acted, when it turned into slapstick. But then I think it was intentional on the part of the director. It was interesting to watch the audience and see who was laughing, and who was trying to figure out if they should, and why. Now many in the audience were laughing out loud from the start, and clearly that is what Jocelyn Bioh, who adapted the play, wanted. It is superbly directed by Taylor Reynolds who gets the audience involved from the start with some responsive clapping encouraged by a bongo player. As the play continued, and people got more into it, it was clearly universally appreciated. Again, that is why I suggest reading the synopsis before going to the theater.
The play is presented in one hour and 45 minutes, without an intermission. I personally enjoyed the last 45 minutes the most. By the end, everyone, maybe except Fallstaff, has what they want. As Artistic Director, Simon Godwin, writes, it is a celebration of ‘Black Joy.’ It also has an added celebration of LGBTQ love coming to fruition at the end of the show.
Merry Wives will be at the Harman Theatre through October 5, 2025. I believe word of mouth will make this show a sell-out, so get your tickets today.
