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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Merry Wives
As in Shakespeare's original text for The Merry Wives of Windsor, the plot revolves around the efforts of rotund layabout John Falstaff (Jacob Ming-Trent) to seduce (and sponge off of) two local women who happen to be best friends. Madam Nkechi Ford (Felicia Curry) owns a laundromat with her jealous husband Nduka (Nick Rashad Burroughs), while Madam Ekua Page (Oneika Phillips) works next door in a hair-braiding salon she owns with her husband Kwame (JaBen Early). Lawrence E. Moten III has designed a cleverly detailed three-dimensional set that brings the audience into the heart of the action. Ming-Trent is (let's just say it) a hoot as Falstaff, pompously promoting himself as a prize to be won without realizing that the people he thinks he's conning are on to his schemes. Ivania Stack's costume designs light up the stage, from Falstaff's louche outfits to the exuberance of African prints throughout. Other highlights are the interplay between Curry and Phillips, the amusing pomposity of Pastor Evans (Sekou Laidlow), the excitability of Doctor Caius (Jordan Barbour), and especially the way Burroughs finds himself caught up in an intrigue he can't figure out. Peyton Rowe is lovely as the Pages' daughter Anne, but her plot line is not as broadly observed as the silliness going on as she just tries to get through life. Credit must also go to Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew's lighting design, ranging from the everyday to the mystical, and Nikiya Mathis' wig and hair designs. Merry Wives runs through October 5, 2025, at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-547-1122 or 877-487-8849 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org. By William Shakespeare, adapted by Jocelyn Bioh Cast: |
