Shakespeare in the Park Review
September 12, 2025
Author: Valeska Piedrasanta
I had the pleasure of attending one of the shows for the "Shakespeare in the Park" play, The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Saturday show (8/30) was jam-packed with people eager to watch the play. I found it to be such an entertaining and enjoyable play, and I recommend people see the show at least once while it is still ongoing.
As an English major, I will admit firsthand that plays are not my forte. I have always struggled with reading and understanding the stories in old plays. This can be boiled down to the simple fact that the English spoken during the creation of these plays was vastly different from how we talk now.
I remember my professor telling me that plays are meant to be watched and heard because of each actor's different actions and voices on stage. Even if you cannot grasp parts of the play, the way actors carry themselves on stage will surely bring some understanding to what is supposed to be happening in certain scenes. This was my experience while watching The Merry Wives of Windsor.
This play is filled with comedic timing throughout all the scenes, and I found myself laughing out loud at all the shenanigans put forth by the actors. All the actors are very animated and accurately picked out for their respective roles. Their energy is what made me pay more attention to the story in the play. The primary roles of Mistress Page and Ford, conveying a hilarious plan against Sir John Falstaff to humiliate him in light of his extremely flirtatious ways, are hilarious to watch in real time.
My favorite character had to be Master Francis Ford. His actor drew me to the role, and I found myself completely enamored with his choices to spotlight Master Ford. He was truly hilarious, and I was honored to see this character brought to life by someone who is clearly in love with what he does.
I hope that others have the time to watch this play while it is ongoing and see the versatility of each actor for themselves.
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