A Surefire Must See

Review: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Lincoln Journal Star Friday, Jun 05, 2009

He is rotund, randy and a rapscallion.

And he is one of William Shakespeare’s most beloved comedic characters.

But while actor Joel Story delivers a highly entertaining performance as Sir John Falstaff in the Flatwater Shakespeare production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, he is not the star of the presentation.

That honor needs to be spread across the play’s 19-member cast, including Story.

This Bob Hall-directed piece ranks as one of the best total ensemble acting accomplishments of the Flatwater company.

Story supplies a wonderfully toothy theatrical countenance of lechery in his portrayal of the scoundrel Falstaff, who hopes to aid his financial status by wooing a pair of married women.

But from Becky Key Boesen and Sasha Dobson as the two wives to Stephen Buhler and Dick Nielsen as their husbands, with solid support from Melissa Lewis Nuss, Ryan Kathman, Robie Hayek, Nathan Weiss, Larry Mota, Trent Stork, Gage Wallace and young Sam Colwell, one would have to look far and wide to find a more complete, committed and engaged cast.

Bold and bawdy, The Merry Wives of Windsor is a surefire must see.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents The Merry Wives of Windsor in the open-air Swan Theatre at Wyuka Cemetery and Park, 3600 O Street in Lincoln. Performances continue Friday through Sunday, June 5-7; and Thursdays through Sundays, June 11-14 and 18-21. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 484-7640 for reservations.

Photo: Ryan Kathman as Parson Evans and Robie Hayek as Doctor Caius in Flatwater Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Photo by Brad Boesen.