Deschonecompanie & MT Transparant

Five generations of female players form a theater company that performs an adaptation of Shakespeares The Merry Wives of Windsor. On and off stage, they are forced to fight the iconic character Falstaff. But, while they try to perform his grotesque plans to seduce two women at the same time, reality breaks through the stage every time. Conflicts and confusion simmer in the wings. Even the direction becomes part of the story. Gradually, the boundaries between fiction and reality blur: what is ‘real’ and what is ‘true’? In a concept by Tom Goossens and Elien Hanselaer and with musical direction by Wouter Deltour, Falstaff unfolds as a true theater matryoshka. The iconic piece is reinvented in a game of humor, playful confusion, and sharp insights. Characters, actors, directors, and unexpected figures become intertwined. Falstaff casts a fresh look at this classic, as well as at the operas of Verdi, Nicolai, and Williams. CAST Stefaan Degand, Wouter Deltour, Elien Hanselaer, Lucie Plasschaert, Ariane Van Vliet, Ecem Topcu, Sien Eggers WITH INTRODUCTION by Tom Goossens at 7:30 PM. Recensies Liv Laveyne, De Standaard • “Deze Falstaff peels off the layer of elitism like silicone from a mask, and plays with meta-theater that is a joy.” Els Van Steenberghe, Knack Focus • “Goossens always remodels a libretto into a piece in rhyme, and with speed. Deltour meanwhile edits the score in the most respectful and thoughtful way. The result? A classic whose narrative rhythm has been flawlessly adapted to the 21st-century hectic spirit of the times without sacrificing musical beauty.” Evelyne Coussens, De Morgen • “This exhausting exercise is a pleasure to watch, because the cast, with passionate players like Stefaan Degand and Ariane van Vliet, has to run, jump, fly, dive, and sing in multiple languages too.” Klassiek Centraal • “A performance with a broad approach: emancipatory, poetic, comical, pamphleteering… This remake of Falstaff is grandiosely larded with an ironic, mischievous undertone”