About the Show

Scheming meets its match as two clever wives turn the tables on the notorious Sir John Falstaff.

Shakespeare’s uproarious comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor takes the stage at the Globe Theatre, offering a fresh look at the hidden layers of Elizabethan society. Beneath the structured social order lies a world of mischief, wit, and unexpected twists.

The roguish Sir John Falstaff, down on his luck, devises a cunning plan to regain his wealth by wooing two affluent housewives, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. However, these sharp-witted women quickly see through his schemes and turn the tables, leading him into a series of hilarious and humiliating traps.

As deception, trickery, and mistaken identities run wild, the play unravels into a whirlwind of comic chaos, proving that in the battle of wits, the clever and resourceful always triumph.

Critic Reviews (17)

"This production fizzes, right from the start, with zooming scenes and every speck of humour wrung out and paraded."
Read more

"Sean Holmes’s irony-drenched take on Shakespeare’s goofiest hour is very funny"
Read more

"Sean Holmes’s revival of the Falstaff spin-off reputedly written at Elizabeth I’s request... is lucid, edited for swiftness, emphatically spoken and offers those seeking some light relief at Shakespeare’s Globe a dependably enjoyable"
Read more

"This Shakespearean curiosity has been most handsomely and thoughtfully mounted."
Read more

"With the storyline ambling here and there while we wait for the old lecher to be dumped in the muddy waters of Datchet Mead, the supporting players grab their moments"
Read more

"Under the even-handed direction of the venue’s deputy artistic director Sean Holmes, what emerges here is a completely serviceable and entertaining evening."
Read more

"It gives enjoyable pause for thought in this shamelessly silly interpretation that won’t go down as a classic, but still provides more than enough hedonistic fizz for a summer’s evening."
Read more

"There’s not nearly the scope of Shakespeare’s better-known comedies to this tale of Windsor-dwelling socialites provoking one another’s sexual interests and loyalties. Although fabulously performed, this production is ultimately a reminder of that."
Read more

Cast and creative team

Shakespeare's Globe (UK)

Producer

Sean Holmes

Director