The Merry Wives of Windsor London Reviews and Tickets

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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 (8)

For a previous production

a production that frantically contrives to over-egg whatever scraps of humour it can lay its hands upon... Like too many Globe efforts of late, this is not fully formed in its conception...'
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For a previous production

Shaking your fist at this play’s ridiculousness is...pointless...The only thing for it is to enjoy some of its most memorable moments...a comedy that’s lost some of its jokes but none of its central poignancy.'
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For a previous production

Jazz-age, MeToo-friendly comedy with a few bum notes...there is precious little sense of this production engaging with the politics of the present moment.'
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For a previous production

...the disparate elements may yet coalesce into a more satisfying whole... But there is certainly a lot here to like... Quigley's Falstaff would be worth the price of a ticket by himself.'
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For a previous production

A gallimaufry of acting styles... Theatre's best early sitcom gets plenty of laughs, despite some miscasting.'
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For a previous production

Jealousy and lechery divert the idle rich in Elle While’s production of the Shakespeare romcom, but well-dressed schemings lack chemistry...'
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For a previous production

Like fighting fire with fire, the Globe has taken Shakespeare’s silliest comedy and made it even sillier...In the scrummage to squeeze out the laughs, the storytelling becomes a little muddy...'
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For a previous production

...this 1930s-set production directed by Elle While wisely embraces [the play's] fluffiness and proves a popular crowd-pleaser. It takes a very free hand with the text, with many of the biggest laughs coming from additions.'
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Cast and creative team

Shakespeare's Globe (UK)

Producer

Sean Holmes

Director