Bard’s words in TV era? It clicks Monmouth’s ‘Wives,’ with ’50s feel, is fun

If you think the idea of a series spinoff is a product of the TV generation, think again.

Shakespeare got there first with “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” reportedly written on a commission from Queen Elizabeth I, who wanted to see the return of the bawdy comic hero Falstaff from the “Henry IV” plays. Many scholars consider “Merry Wives” one of the Bard’s lesser comedies, but they might reconsider after seeing the high-jinks version the Theater at Monmouth is touring in the state through February.

The show opened last weekend in Winthrop and played Wednesday and Thursday at the Bangor Opera House. The next stop is Saturday, Jan. 22, at the Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth, with additional performances in Stonington, Fairfield, Waterville, Readfield and other locations throughout the state. (See Page C8 for more information.)

Director Bill Van Horn has placed the story in Brooklyn during the 1950s, and John Story’s boardwalk-style set evokes a bygone black-and-white era with white laundry strung between lampposts and enlarged images of Coney Island and Prospect Park as the backdrop. The 13 energetic actors in this tight ensemble cast use the placards and the curtainlike laundry as their entry and exit points, but the stage pieces also serve well for asides, eavesdropping and costume changes. In its simplicity, it’s an elegant set that evokes the past and at the same time serves the immediacy of the performances.

And breakneck speed is important to this show because Van Horn, indeed, calls upon TV culture and pop icons to underscore his vision. “The Honeymooners,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley,” “Gilligan’s Island,” the Three Stooges, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny and the old Bob Hope movies – they’re all there somewhere in more than two hours that read like an evening of reruns on “Nick at Night.”

Shakespeare with a Brooklyn accent? Shakespeare in black leather jackets and poodle skirts? Shakespeare to the tunes of “Under the Boardwalk” and “Blue Moon”? Alas, it may not appeal to the purists, but is it fun? You bet.

The story of “Merry Wives” is multilayered – there’s a duel and a love story in the background – but the central plot is about two wives who play tricks on Falstaff and their husbands. It’s a domestic comedy at heart, but, if you look close enough, you’ll see the ancestral lineage of such TV comedies as “I Love Lucy” and “Desperate Housewives.”

Falstaff may have been the impetus for the script – and the triumphant Dennis Price is never tentative in the role – but the show also demands full-out performances from the rest of the cast. Van Horn has collected an able troupe of actors whose theatrical elasticity is duly tested as the performers shift in and out of roles, sing doo-wop, take pratfalls and race through the aisles (sometimes bringing audience members back to stage with them). Dustin Tucker as Master Ford, Maria Kelly as Mistress Quickly, Gus Schulenburg as Bartolph and Dr. Caius, and Daniel Carlton as Pistol and Simple kept the audience laughing with their witty characterizations at Wednesday’s performance.

In the end, the quick-fire pacing of “Merry Wives” is both a treasure and a frustration. Produced in part from a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in Communities “next generation” initiative, the show is on a nationally mandated mission to inspire young people to appreciate great literature through professional productions. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a Shakespeare play with more appeal to young audiences. (This time of year, you’d be hard-pressed to find one in the state at all, for that matter.) Yet the pacing too often compromises the language of the play, which can get lost in speedy deliveries or muddied by difficult accents. You can still follow the story because the physical humor carries it, but improved enunciation would allow for an even deeper appreciation for Shakespeare’s poetry. After all, that’s the thing, isn’t it?

Still, this is an impressive, entertaining show, one that honors the goals of the NEA and assures that the Theater at Monmouth is a company worthy of its role as the state’s leading Shakespeare troupe. That, too, is the thing.

The Theater at Monmouth will present “The Merry Wives of Windsor” 7:30 p.m., Jan. 22, at The Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth. For tickets, call 667-9500 or 1-866-363-9500.