Falstaff

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 battle with the iconic character Falstaff. But, while they try to perform his grotesque plans to seduce two women at the same time, reality constantly breaks through the stage. Conflicts and confusion lurk 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 theatrical 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.