The notable Shakespeare editor Nicholas Rowe wrote in 1709 that Queen Elizabeth liked Falstaff’s character so much in the Henry IV plays that she commanded Shakespeare to write another play with Falstaff, and to show him in love.
Like the queen, do you find yourself wanting more Falstaff? You can catch him this summer at Nebraska Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare Dallas. All three are staging The Merry Wives of Windsor, and OSF is also presenting Henry IV Part 1 (running through October) and Henry IV Part 2 (opening in July).
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- Sir John Falstaff (G. Valmont Thomas) and Peto (Lauren Modica) nurse the wounds to their bodies and pride after being robbed of the goods they stole. Photo by Jenny Graham.
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- Sir John Falstaff (G. Valmont Thomas) revels in the rowdy atmosphere—and the company (Rachel Kostrna, Nemuna Ceesay)—at the Boar’s Head Tavern. Photo by Jenny Graham.
At OSF, Falstaff is portrayed by a man, G. Valmont Thomas, in both the Henry plays, but by a woman, K. T. Vogt, in Merry Wives. Vogt appeared in an OSF all-female production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona in 2014 as Launce.
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- Falstaff (K .T. Vogt) accepts that he’s been outwitted by Mistress Ford & Mistress Page (Amy Newman & Vilma Silva, left & right), much to the delight of Master Ford (Rex Young, left), Master Page (Paul Juhn, right) and Ensemble. Photo by Jenny Graham.
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- Mistress Ford and Mistress Page (Amy Newman and Vilma Silva, left and right) are less than thrilled about the overtures Falstaff (K. T. Vogt, center) is making toward them. Photo by Jenny Graham, Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Nebraska Shakespeare’s Merry Wives is running in rep with King Lear, while Shakespeare Dallas’s Merry Wives is running in rep with Quixote, Octavio Solis’s adaptation of the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote.
Lydia Mackay as Mistress Ford, Steven Young as Falstaff, and Constance Gold Parry as Mistress Page. The Merry Wives of Windsor, 2017. Shakespeare Dallas. Photo by Linda Blase.
Nebraska Shakespeare
The Merry Wives of Windsor; Jun 29-30, Jul 1, 2 ,7 , 9; nebraskashakespeare.com
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Henry IV, Part One (Feb 22-Oct 28); The Merry Wives of Windsor (Jun 6-Oct 13); Henry IV, Part Two (Jul 4-Oct 29); osfashland.org
Shakespeare Dallas
The Merry Wives of Windsor; Jun 14-Jul 21
Nebraska Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare Dallas are theater partners of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
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