USU Theatre Arts Department presents ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’

The Utah State University Theatre Arts Department brought classical Shakespearean comedy to the Morgan Theatre stage with their newest production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” The ensemble-driven, 1950s-inspired show delivers a witty story of clever women outsmarting self-important men and premiered on Feb. 13 with accompanying performances throughout the rest of the week. 

 “Normally, Shakespeare’s plays were about kings and queens and the aristocracy,” said Leslie Brott, the show’s director and the head of actor training for the BFA acting program. “This one is about regular folks.” 

According to Brott, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is a play created for the masses, intending to tell a relatable story of how wit and community can triumph over pretentious and greedy behavior. 

“When we watch folks take themselves a little too seriously, then they can become funny pretty quickly,” Brott said. “Instead of being cruel about folks taking themselves too seriously, we are able to laugh at folks that take themselves too seriously and maybe laugh with them. That’s something that’s important to all of us, is that we do a type of gentle comedy that reminds us that none of us are perfect.” 

While the show stays true to the original script, the theater department reimagined the story to be set in the 1950s with settings and outfits that reflect the style of the era.  

“Most of the historical context that’s important with the original setting is just the reputation and social politics of it all, particularly in forms of men’s and women’s place within a marriage,” said McKade Biggs, a student actor who played Master Ford. “I feel like the ‘50s is also a time where that was at a height and I think fits this play well.” 

Biggs described Master Ford as “jealous and a little off his rocker.”   

Submitted by Dycie Leishman

McKade Biggs stands on a laundry cart, surrounded by the cast of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”

“It’s really fun to play in those extremes, especially with Shakespeare,” Biggs said. “There’s so much fun wordplay and language within that extreme realm, and it’s just really fun to play.” 

Brott has worked closely with Shakespearean texts throughout her professional career. She said she wanted the show and its cast to demonstrate a developed understanding of the literature by devoting the first week of rehearsals to studying the rhetoric.  

“The most important part is to bring it back to the text. The text has everything you need,” Biggs said. “I think that really allowed us to make this show the best it could be, just because of how important the language is and being clear what that language is in a Shakespeare show.”  

According to Brott, a developed understanding of the text is the best way to ensure the most important part of the play shines through to the audience — the comedy.  

“We worked on a lot of physical comedy for this, and we worked on keeping the delivery light, fast and quick,” Brott said. “The jokes in this play are really easy to get, and I don’t think a single student on campus will have any trouble following the play.”  

While understanding Shakespearean literature can seem intimidating to some, Brott and Biggs emphasized anyone could get a laugh out of this play.  

“Shakespeare isn’t as highbrow as you thought it was,” Biggs said. “He was just writing to be popular, and he did it really well, which is why we still study him. He was writing for the people. He wasn’t writing for the scholars.” 

Aside from laughter, Brott said this production also provided opportunities to student cast and crew within the program.  

“I’m lucky to work with that level of talent and to help mold that talent a little bit as I introduce them to a playwright that is still produced all over the world,” Brott said. “I’m also happy to work with student designers on creating a world that is fun for them and that they can understand that their contribution contributes to the joy of the production, the lightness of the production and the creativity of the production.” 

Brott said she hopes audiences walked away with joy, a good laugh and a greater appreciation for the work it takes to put a show together. 

“There’s a lot of moving parts,” Brott said. “I want people to appreciate the fact that all these people came together on a single project, we all worked toward a common goal, we’re all different people and we made something that is a gift to the community.”