Playgoer’s Guide
Q+A
Michael Stebbins, Door Shakespeare’s Producing Artistic Director, sat down with Henry V director, Matt Daniels, and The Merry Wives of Windsor director, Marcella Kearns.
Michael “Share with us how these two plays are connected, as I think they are an intriguing pairing. Many people think that The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy and Henry V is a history, so they couldn’t possibly be connected. I think it’s really interesting that there are characters that appear in both plays—crossover, if you will.” Matt “Well, although Henry V is a history play, it has plenty of comedy to go around! I think the biggest connection is the character of Sir John Falstaff, who was one of Henry’s closest friends back before he became king. Henry cut s Falstaff out of his life at the end of Henry IV Part II. Henry V deals with some of that aftermath as Falstaff’s friends are drafted to fight for Henry, and he has to deal with his old life colliding with the new one. Falstaff himself doesn’t appear in Henry V, though his presence is keenly felt in a few scenes because many of his companions in The Merry Wives of Windsor do find their way into Henry V. In Henry V, all of Falstaff’s companions in The Merry Wives of Windsor are drafted into service for Henry’s war against the French. So Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol are all there, along with Robin, Falstaff’s page, and Mistress Quickly. Several earls and dukes cross over between plays as they were still historically active in multiple reigns. In the case of Falstaff and his companions, these characters are not really historically accurate, and as such, Shakespeare was free to do with them as he pleased. Beyond that, there are several thematic resonances, they both have Welsh and French characters, and there is evidence that they were written with a couple of years of one another.” Marcella “Regarding those thematic resonances: Some of the most striking include what it means to come together as a people with differences for a common purpose, the boon of friendship and love, and tenacity in the face of great odds.” Michael “Shakespeare wrote these two plays during a very prolific time in his writing career. If he did indeed write these plays between 1597 and 1599, he was also writing, or had already penned, Henry IV Part II, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Julius Caesar. Door Shakespeare is visiting Henry V for the first time, and the last time we shared The Merry Wives of Windsor with audiences was in 2004. Marcella and Matt, thank you for guiding these plays to the stage, and for being with us this summer.”
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