The Merry Wives of Windsor, William Shakespeare

The most awaited title of this season’s programme, the comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, will be presented in the direction of Jiří Menzel, an author famous for both his film and theatre projects. The cast is lead by Bolek Polívka in the role of the knight and free-liver John Falstaff, the witty Mistress Page is played by Simona Stašová, her conspiratorial friend Mistress Quickly will be performed by Eva Režnarová. In addition to these, the spectators can look forward to many other excellent actors such as Jaromír Dulava, Jaroslav Satoranský, Hynek Čermák, Michal Novotný, Šárka Vaculíkoví, Jan Cina, Rudolf Jelínek, Jan Přeučil, and many more.

“I like comedies because it is often the case that more truth sparkles in them than in tragedies that usually only present us truths that are already well known,” says Jiří Menzel about The Merry Wives of Windsor, this amusing play about female wit and silly male jealousy.

Some say that the comedy was commanded by no one less important than Queen Elizabeth who, allegedly, was charmed by the character of John Falstaff in the first part of the play Henry IV. She is said to have wanted to see Falstaff in love and Shakespeare was in such a rush to fulfil her wish that he wrote the play in only two weeks. However, he made the Queen´s wish come true only partially: The Merry Wives of Windsor see Jan Falstaff experience love primarily as a tool by means of which he hopes to solve his “personal financial crisis”...

The settings were designed by the director’s favourite artist Karel Glogr, the costume design was created by Menzel´s stable colleague, the famous film and theatre artist Milan Čorba.

Premiere: June 25^th, 2009 (Prague Castle)

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