17 December 2018. The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Barbican

I'm afraid I only quite enjoyed this production, having gone with high expectations from my memory of the 1985 Bill Alexander production (with the wives plotting at the hairdresser's). This production was just a tad too bawdy I felt and I also don't personally like when the text is altered with additions and modernisations - e.g., a reference to Brexit and to singing at Cardiff Arms Park. To me, it creates a muddle.
That said, it was a pleasant and amusing evening and the acting was excellent. The setting was more Chingford than Windsor and the ladies reminded me slightly of Abigail's Party. Rebecca Lacey and Beth Cordingly were great as Mistresses Page and Ford, the objects of Falstaff's affections. Likewise Falstaff himself, played by David Troughton.
The production by Fiona Laird was inventive and navigated us well though the potentially confusing story of disguise and rivalry. A good start was the introduction of all the characters before the action started. It is a slightly strange play with the action of the first half seeming rather drawn out while the second half felt quite hurried. But, short of checking the text, I assume that's down to Shakespeare.