Full casting has been announced for the RSC’s revival of The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by Blanche McIntyre
Making their RSC debuts as the eponymous ‘Merry Wives’ are the previously announced double Olivier Award-winner Samantha Spiro (Sex Education/ Ridley Road) as Mistress Meg Page, who is joined by Siubhan Harrison (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) as Mistress Alice Ford. John Hodgkinson (Dear England, RSC’s A Christmas Carol) plays Sir John Falstaff, and Richard Goulding (Scoop, The Windsors, King Charles III) plays Frank Ford.
Blanche McIntyre, director, said: “The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of Shakespeare’s most underrated plays. Its mixture of comedy and vulnerability foreshadows great writers such as Alan Ayckbourn, and its farcical set pieces are the forerunners of classic sitcom. I’m setting the play in a contemporary small town, as I think its gossipy lack of privacy, its suburban values and its overheated town politics are timeless. I’ve wanted to direct The Merry Wives of Windsor for a long time, and I am delighted to be working on it with the sensational company we’ve assembled.”
The full cast comprises Jessica Alade (Simple), Omar Bynon (Pistol), John Dougall (Shallow), Riess Fennell (Robert/Student), Richard Goulding (Frank Ford), Siubhan Harrison (Alice Ford), John Hodgkinson (Sir John Falstaff), Emily Houghton (Host of the Garter), Ian Hughes (Sir Hugh Evans), Wil Johnson (George Page), Yasemin Junqueira (Student), John Leader (Fenton), David Mara (Rugby), Tadeo Martinez (Robin), Shazia Nicholls (Mistress Quickly) Yasemin Özdemir (Nym), David Partridge (Bardolph/John), Samantha Spiro (Meg Page), Jason Thorpe (Dr Caius), Tara Tijani (Anne Page) and Patrick Walshe McBride (Slender).
Shakespeare’s suburban comedy is an uproarious tale of mischief and double dealing where the women get the last laugh.
The Merry Wives of Windsor runs in repertoire at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between 5 June – 7 September.
Related News
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
First look: rehearsal photos for Some Woman starring Anne-Marie Duff at the Dorfman Theatre
Thom Yorke’s Shakespeare mashup Hamlet Hail to the Thief announces full cast for London Premiere
Full cast announced for Jonathan Groff-led, all male company of As You Like It at the RSC
Latest News
Everything you need to know about The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal in London
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
What to expect from Pride the Musical ahead of highly anticipated transfer to the Bridge Theatre
