PicksInSix Review: The Merry Wives of Windsor - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Delightfully Devious Duo Meets Rotund Rapscallion!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Directed with comic zeal by Phillip Breen and featuring Jason Simon in a terrific performance as the rotund rapscallion Sir John Falstaff, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s lively production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is a rip-roaring farce if ever there was one. Set in modern times that often stretch the imagination, the sparkling cast delivers a robustly-paced theatrical gem on Navy Pier!  

Breen’s familiarity with the challenging material pays off. He has certainly discovered every intended comic opportunity—and countless others for good measure—and hits the mark at every turn, all centered around the dubious exploits of Simon’s Falstaff that fail like clockwork, not once, but three times at the hands of the delightfully devious duo of Mistress Ford (Issy Van Randwyck) and Mistress Page (Ora Jones). From the moment they receive identical love letters from Sir John, the two work in tandem to cook his goose while remaining undetected by their husbands, Master Page (Chiké Johnson) and Master Ford (Timothy Edward Kane), despite suspicions to the contrary. Aye, there’s the rub!

Who could blame them for their playful mischievousness? Falstaff’s overt desires turn away his entourage (the entertaining trio of Bardolph (Teddy Gales), Pistol (Colin Huerta), and Nym (Zack Bloomfield)—leaving him vulnerable to the combined forces of the merry wives and the spirited Mistress Quickly (a charming role for Nancy Voigts). As a result, Falstaff must unwittingly fend for himself, eluding discovery by the jealous Ford (Kane) by stuffing his magnificence in a laundry box that is later tossed away in the Thames and then forced to don lady’s clothing and endure an unseen thrashing during a hasty retreat. Throughout, Simon’s Falstaff is never the victim, but rather a hapless fop, like a dog with bone, easily swayed by flattery and the promise of passionate fulfillment. When he concedes a third time to a meeting in Windsor Park, now in the guise of “Herne the Hunter” with everyone in on the ruse, Falstaff is finally, and publicly, humiliated for his transgressions, and must makes amends.

In addition to the brilliant performances by Randwyck, Jones and Kane, the cast is loaded with Chicago talent from top to bottom including Nick Sandys (Sir Hugh Andrews), Paul Oakley Stovall (Justice Shallow), Alex Weisman (Slender), Nate Burger (Dr. Caius) and Bret Tuomi (Host of the Garter Inn). In the love story, Oliva Pryor is an earnest Anne Page, whose marital future lies with one of three suitors, Caius, Slender and Fenton, who is played by Sam Bell-Gurwitz, and is the true object of her affections.

Rich scenic and lavish costume designs by Max Jones—particularly the Ford’s elegant home, the Garter Inn and in the haunting Windsor Park—are visually striking with notable surprises dropping down from above and phoning in from below. The Jentes Family Courtyard Theatre is awash in Marcus Doshi’s crisp lighting design and the lush soundscape by Lindsay Jones, with the clever use of some contemporary songs that bust out along the way.

All in, Shakes “Merry Wives” is at its’ very merry best when Simon is uproariously navigating the fine line of reckless passion and the resulting over-the-top antics set in motion by the far superior wives who keep us rooting for his inevitable comeuppance. From his larger-than-life grand entrance to his humbling demise, Simon delivers a flawless performance and rightly receives a glorious and genuinely warm last laugh for his efforts, sprinkled with a tender touch of finality for one of Shakespeare’s most enduring characters.

PHOTO|Kyle Flubacker

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Navy Pier
through May 3, 2026

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PicksInSix Review: SHAW vs. TUNNEY - Grippo Stage Company

Knockout Performances Fuel “SHAW vs. TUNNEY”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Yes, it was very unlikely.  It’s also quite profound, this unique relationship that is the bedrock of “SHAW vs. TUNNEY,” the fascinating new play by Douglas Post, that’s now playing at Theater Wit through July 8.  Mr. Post based his play on the unique biography “The Prizefighter and the Playwright” by Jay R. Tunney, the son of former heavyweight champion Gene Tunney.  It's a challenging, thick work of great research and layered emotion, as time passes, beginning in the spring of 1928.  And it entails some explanation.

It is both a surprisingly bombastic piece that also imparts a subtle exchange between two famous men 40 years apart in age – Tunney, the champ, who longs for a different kind of acceptance by the world; and the great Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who shares his intense interest in the classics and turns out to be a huge boxing fan. Who knew?  Shaw encourages young Tunney to refer to him as “GBS” in their growing dialogue.  In turn, Shaw calls his new friend by his entire name, “Gene Tunney,” during the play.  The verbal battles and fun between the two provide revelations about both men. No stone is left unturned, for sure.

And there is yet a third influence at work here – Tunney’s wife Polly, who openly owns in her pseudo-narrative with the audience a kind of dual role in her husband’s life.  She is both the loyal, encouraging wife who understands her husband’s desire to know those who can intellectually feed him and serves as a teacher of sorts who, because of her example and sacrifice, shows Gene how to love within their marriage.  We see that come to fruition when, during their honeymoon and beyond on the island of Brioni in the Adriatic Sea, Shaw is actually invited to join the Tunneys to continue this beguiling triumvirate. Polly becomes desperately ill with what we discover as acute appendicitis and, well, anything more borders on giving the story’s surprise away. Suffice it to say that what we see is indeed a teacher/student scenario of such rarity that we are left with huge ideas to chew on for conversation.  This ultimately is the best thing about Mr. Post’s script, a revival of the art of pure conversation that inspires and stimulates, where people can disagree – and here, it’s a loud and forceful display – while remaining in good stead.

This is arguably the best work this writer has ever seen from Chicago veteran Richard Henzel as Shaw; so many creative layers of his own presented in a philosophic ball, at once malleable and strong. It would have been easy to see Shaw as monolithic and unbending in such a give-and-take, but Mr. Henzel’s natural humor blends comfortably with Shaw’s own inherent bent. As Tunney, Sam Pearson presents an unpretentious vulnerability and openness – in the character, almost to a fault – as we follow his pursuit of a higher plane of life.

The high point is his tender, open monologue to Polly, professing the love he has learned from her while she lays quite ill, while thunder and rain lay understated like war sounds beneath the action.  Maddie Sachs is a new and appealing actor, showing a versatility in jumping back and forth between character and narrator that is smooth and believable in what could have been a difficult tool to share.  She makes Polly sincere and genuine.

Grippo Stage Company producer Charles Grippo and director Nick Sandys, in deft and quiet touches, both deserve much credit for bringing Mr. Post’s play to the spotlight.  They both recognize that the play itself is the star of the evening. It has the potential to go beyond an audience who knows the historical standing of the characters and earns its language-eloquent unveiling.  It just might be one of those “little engine that could” presentations that captures a growing audience for “SHAW vs. TUNNEY” during its world premiere run at Theater Wit. 

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO CREDIT | Anthony Robert LaPenna

GRIPPO STAGE COMPANY
WORLD PREMIERE

SHAW vs. TUNNEY
THEATER WIT
1229 W Belmont Ave Chicago
through July 8

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PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC