Comedy capers go from bard to verse

FARCE FIRST: Nim, played by Ned Stuitje (left) Falstaff, played by Cody Sage, and Pistol, played by Ethan Roseman, take centre stage during rehearsals of the Wairarapa College entry into the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival running next week at Rathkeale College. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Wairarapa College is to hit the stage with a Shakespearean sitcom at the annual regional Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival next week.

Teacher Suzanne Oliver says the festival will run at the Rathkeale auditorium on Tuesday night and the 15-minute scene from Wairarapa College is from the bard's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Director Gavin McEwen said the play was his favourite because of the farcical script and comedy of the work.

"In fact, during rehearsals my students have questioned whether we're doing Shakespeare at all because it really is a funny script.

"I would describe Merry Wives as a Shakespearean sitcom. It has all those silly, yet endearing, traits of a sitcom " mistaken identities, awkward love interests and our man Falstaff finds himself caught up in bizarre situations."

Falstaff is the main character of the play and a classic Shakespearean comic.

"Sir John Falstaff is everything that a gallant knight is not, he is old, fat, lecherous, poor and drunk most of the time."

The Wairarapa College version of Merry Wives is an attempt to take Shakespeare back to basics and a scene had been created "that could be performed anywhere and understood by anyone".

Mr McEwen says the play has been fun to direct and rehearse and they have endeavoured to make Shakespeare accessible and exciting.

"Our focus has been on creating interesting and quirky characters that border on the ridiculous."

The scene is loud, physical and quickly paced and Mr McEwen said watching Falstaff played by Cody Sage, was "an experience not to be missed".

The harassed wives Mrs Page (Annie Ruddock) and Mrs Ford (Harriet O'Hara) show their comic timing as they manipulate Falstaff and take their revenge.

Ford (Cael Friday) delivers a Basil Fawlty-like performance that shows Ford going mad with jealousy, and Page (Jardyn Kyle) is the perfect antithesis to him with his laid-back demeanour.

"We have Mistress Quickly (Elena Smith-Beech), who brings out the qualities of a 'not-so-young-maid' and Ned Stuitje, Ethan Roseman, and Shayla Farley all bring their comic abilities to the fore in their roles."