A new musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is currently playing at the University of California, Irvine’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival. Titled “The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove,” the production relocates the classic comedy to a 1950s Southern California beach town, complete with surf culture and a chocolate-covered-banana stand.
Set against this retro backdrop, the story centers on Margaret Page and Alice Ford, two women dealing with troubled marriages. Margaret, portrayed by Sonya Cooke, is frustrated with her carefree husband George (Evan Lugo), while Alice (Sarah Hentges) faces significant challenges due to her jealous husband Frank (Abel Garcia). The arrival of Johnny Falstaff, a faded Elvis-style rock star played by Wyn Moreno, triggers a series of comedic events. Falstaff, driven by greed and a desire to disrupt the women’s marriages, sends identical amorous letters to both Margaret and Alice, unwittingly becoming the target of their sharp-witted scheme.
The adaptation, created by New Swan’s founding artistic and producing director Eli Simon and Anna Fitzgerald, incorporates a 1950s-inspired pop score by Zachary Dietz, which maintains a subtle presence so as not to overpower the story. The play is presented in the festival’s intimate, portable Elizabethan-style venue, with a cast mainly composed of UC Irvine students along with several guest performers.
While the production embraces the playful spirit of Shakespeare’s work, it also delves deeper into the wives’ marital dissatisfaction than the original text, highlighting more somber undercurrents amid the humor. The character of Falstaff is depicted largely as a comic figure driven by appetite rather than romance, wearing a jumpsuit reminiscent of Elvis’s Las Vegas era. Wyn Moreno’s performance strives to balance humor with dignity, although some aspects lean heavily on physical comedy.
Other supporting roles bring a wide range of theatrical styles. Abel Garcia’s jealous Frank Ford delivers a particularly intense portrayal, while Heriberto Cruz Jr.’s Doctor Caius provides broad comic relief. The youthful lovers Anne Page (Marilyn Alonzo) and “Skateboard” Fenton (Zach Trent) add a nostalgic touch that echoes the carefree California youth culture of the era.
The production highlights Margaret and Alice as the primary agents of the plot, showcasing their wit and camaraderie. Despite some moments where the humor is more overtly performed than naturally arising, the show maintains a lighthearted and communal atmosphere. With its blend of period charm and contemporary sensibilities, “The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove” offers audiences a warm and accessible take on a lesser-known Shakespearean comedy.