Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) proudly presents Shakespeare’s fan favorite comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor. Directed by Matt Pfeiffer, the production runs June 26 to July 7 on the Main Stage at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University.
Returning to the Festival are PSF alumna Taysha Marie Canales (Much Ado About Nothing) as Mrs. Ford and Karen Peakes (Blithe Spirit, The Taming of the Shrew) as Mrs. Page, the eponymous ‘Merry Wives.’ Scott Greer (most recently seen in The Play That Goes Wrong) plays the legendary Sir John Falstaff. Making his PSF debut, J. Paul Nicholas stars as the mild-mannered Mr. Page, alongside PSF veteran Akeem Davis (The Tempest, Sense and Sensibility) as the jealously irate Mr. Frank Ford.
Joining them in the cast are numerous Festival regulars including Sean Close (Slender), Jim Helsinger (Justice Shallow), Dan Hodge (Pistol), Anthony Lawton (Parson Hugh), Eli Lynn (Nym), Suzanne O’Donnell (Mistress Quickly), and Ian Merrill Peakes (Dr Caius). Rounding out the cast are Tyler Borneo (Simple), Abby Jeanne (Rugby), CaSandra Kay (Anne Page), Devin Romero (Bardolph), Isaiah Caleb Stanley (Host of the Garter), and Christian Tuffy (Fenton).
“My goal is to see myself and my own experience in Shakespeare’s work, and try to convey that on a very human level to a 21st century audience,” said director Matt Pfeiffer, now in his 25th season with PSF. “I was trying to imagine who could come into a suburban town in 1970s America and cause a big ruckus,” he says. “I looked at Falstaff as kind of an Elvis figure – you know, like a traveling Vegas road show act – in an attempt to remix Shakespeare’s language and world into a kind of 1970s American icon.”
To help create this persona, the play’s original music is also inspired by Elvis. Pfeiffer collaborated once again with Alex Bechtel, the music director and composer to create the play’s original score. The two have previously worked together on PSF scores for The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2014), The Taming of the Shrew (2016), Twelfth Night (2018), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021).
Joining Pfeiffer and Bechtel on the creative team are Grace Aumiller (Sound Designer),
Alyssandra Docherty (Lighting Designer), Paige Hathaway (Scenic Designer), Colleen Hughes (Intimacy Director), Pei Lee (Costume Designer), and Eli Lynn (Fight Director). Josiane M. Lemieux is the Stage Manager and Emma D. Emde is the Assistant Stage Manager.
Patrons can enhance their experience with show extras including: a post-show champagne toast on opening night, Friday, June 28; a Savoring Shakespeare dinner specially themed to the play with behind-the-scenes insights on Saturday, June 29; prologues offering insights into the play held prior 45 minutes to curtain (excludes previews); a talk-back with the actors on Wednesday, July 3; and an Audio Described and Open Captioned performance on June 29. (For specific times of all events visit www.pashakespeare.org.)
The Production Sponsor for The Merry Wives of Windsor is Amaranth Foundation and the Co-Sponsors are Douglas Dykhouse, Joanne Hartshorne, and Theatre League, Kansas City.
The Festival’s 2024 Season Sponsors are Lee and Dolly Butz. The Associate Season Sponsors are Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth, Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E. Nolan, the Szarko Family, and Harry C. Trexler Trust.
Tickets can be purchased online at pashakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at 610.282.WILL [9455], ext. 1, or in person at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University, in Center Valley.
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, the official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, features acclaimed actors from Broadway, television, and film, and is the summer home to over 200 artists from around the country, including winners and nominees of the Tony, Obie, Emmy, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Jefferson, and Barrymore Awards.