Merry Wives

Last week to the Northern Broadsides version of 'The Merry Wives of  Windsor' at the Rose, Kingston. A play that I have never seem, or even read before. Which meant that a little revision was needed from the hitherto unread - and not completely cut - copy from the Methuen Arden Shakespeare. Essentially put together in 1904 but touched up in 1932.

Of an age when readers were expected to be able to cope with long sentences, long paragraphs and little in the way of headings, boxed inserts or illustrations. So a near 80 page introductory essay, followed by over 200 pages of text, many of which had extensive footnotes. Some of these dealt with the extensive specialist vocabulary of Elizabethan hunters - and the rather less extensive specialist vocabulary of Elizabethan laundresses. I learned, for example, that low cast hunters used small hawks to hover over hedges, trapping blackbirds, thrushes and suchlike within, and so allowing the ladies of the party to pick them off with small cross-bows. Not the sort of thing that the RSPB would encourage these days. Not even very sporting.

It was also explained that while most of the canon was built around kings and nobles doing their stuff for the entertainment of the middling classes, this play was built around the middling classes aping their betters for the entertainment of the kings and nobles. Who could be rather grandly amused by the pretentions so exhibited.

As is our custom, took a quick look at the Hogsmill before the show, to find, unusually, very few fish. But there was a great swarm of midges hovering above the water instead. Had the Poles had the fish for their Easter feasts?

Northern Broadsides, led and directed by one Barrie Rutter, come to the Rose reasonably often and they did not disappoint on this occasion, turning in an entirely serviceable production of a not very good play. The Arden excuse being that it had been knocked out to order in a great hurry. I suspect that in this production the play had been quite heavily cut, which was probably just as well, with more weight being given to appearance and body language than to the words. The odd reference to places up north had been popped in, a concession to the generally northern tone of the Broadsides' tour. The two wives could have done with being a touch more tarty and a touch less homely. Rather a jolly dance at the end. See references 1 and 2 for the previous occasions of record. Perhaps there were more, before the record started, back in 2006.

With the one member of the cast from Whitstable being supported by a family claque of four, sitting to our immediate right.

It was a bit wet when we came out and we decided against eating in Kingston, thinking to go to the 'Shy Horse', a lot nearer home, instead. But the traffic was a bit grim - perhaps the Easter rush was getting under way - it being late Thursday afternoon - and we pulled into the Unique Fish & Grill at Chessington North instead, illustrated above. Which was quiet when we arrived, but people arrived while we ate our fish and chips - not brilliant but not bad, chips quite good - and we made a good meal. Cheerful service.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=northern+broadsides.

Reference 2: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=northern+broadsides.