Excerpted from the review by Robert L. Daniels
Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey serves up the Bard's spirited romp "The Merry Wives of Windsor" as its 43rd season opener. The blowsy Sir John Falstaff of the "Henry" dramas is given free comic rein in this farce, said to have been written at the request of Queen Elizabeth I for a Christmas gathering at Windsor Court. Eric Hoffmann gives a robust account of the victimized rotund knight in a production heightened by color and dash...

... Hoffmann's lusty Falstaff has the right balance of romantic fervor and foolish daring. Taking refuge from a distrusting husband, Falstaff is squeezed into a basket of dirty laundry and dumped into the Thames; the spindly servants make a very funny exit as they attempt to carry the burdensome load to the river.

Frank Ford's ill-tempered befuddlement is realized with extravagant flair and zest by James Michael Reilly. Other deliciously cartoony perfs are Robert Hock's doddering Justice Shallow, Dana Smith-Croll's garrulous go-between Mistress Quickly and David Foubert's outrageous foppish French master of malapropisms Doctor Caius.

No player is left out in Jones' rompish staging. The spirited ensemble gleefully cavorts in a production he has infused with broadly comic high energy.

Much of the staging's success must be credited to its outstanding visuals. The rich Elizabethan togs by Maggie Dick could have been borrowed from an old MGM Technicolor swashbuckler. Everybody looks elegant in hoop skirts, brocaded tunics, capes and knickers.

The peaked wooden arches and high walls that frame the pub's tankard atmosphere provide a comfortable terrain for actors, while the softly burnished lighting design eases the madcap pace for the sprawling assemblage of lovers and fools.

© 2005 Reed Business Information.

"Shakespeare, Straight Up"

By Peter Filichia

Monday, June 6, 2005

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has come up with an idea that's almost revolutionary.

How about doing "The Merry Wives of Windsor" without any gimmicks at all?

Granted, it's not one of the Bard's best comedies, so directors usually feel the need to play with it. Eleven years ago here in Madison, the troupe set the farce in the 1950's Catskills. In 2003, Princeton Rep put it in contemporary West Windsor.

Now, though, artistic director Bonnie J. Monte and director Jason King Jones decide to play it straight. How nice to see a production of a play written in 1600 with everyone in 17th century costumes (handsome ones, too, thanks to Maggie Dick).

So despite an opening and penultimate scene that don't work well -- and that's Shakespeare's fault, not Jones' — the rest of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" comes across as a straightforward delight.

Click here to read the full review.

© 2005 The Star-Ledger.

" The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Stages Shakespeare's
Only 'Thoroughly English' comedy"

Excerpted from the review by Stuart Duncan

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

...it is an entertaining evening in the hands of skilled actors such as the latest revival at The Shakespeare Theatre in Madison.

...Director Jason King Jones has timed the evening at a goodly pace, helped immeasurably by Bruce Ruggaber's clever set design which twirls, opens and closes, sliding into various positions. Bruce Auerbach has lit the scenes with intelligence, warming scenes which need it. Late in the evening, he finds a nice blend for the forest at night. Maggie Dick's costumes are of the 17th century (hooray, at long last a Shakespeare comedy that sticks to its own century). And beautiful.

...Eric Hoffmann plays Falstaff with straightforward dignity, eschewing all suggestions of buffoonery...David Foubert almost steals whole scenes as the French doctor Caius...James Michael Reilly, a local favorite of many seasons, has a ball as Mr. Ford. And young Joshua Herrigel is most impressive as the page boy.

©PACKETONLINE News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey 2005