DESCHONECOMPANIE & Muziektheater Transparant: 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 fight 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. In the wings, conflicts and confusion simmer. 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. Press quotes “Deze Falstaff peels off the layer of elitism like silicone from a mask, and plays with meta-theater that it is a joy.” Liv Laveyne, De Standaard “Goossens constantly 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 is flawlessly adapted to the 21st-century hectic zeitgeist without sacrificing musical beauty.” Els Van Steenberghe, Knack Focus “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 then sing in multiple languages too.” Evelyne Coussens, De Morgen “A performance with a broad approach: emancipatory, poetic, comical, pamphleteering… This remake of Falstaff is grandiosely larded with an ironic, mischievous undertone” Klassiek Centraal Credits: Concept and text: Elien Hanselaer, Tom Goossens, Musical direction: Wouter Deltour Originele text: William Shakespeare, Composition: Otto Nicolai, Vaughan Williams, Giuseppe Verde, Play: Stefaan Degand, Wouter Deltour, Elien Hanselaer, Lucie Plasschaert, Ariane Van Vliet, Ecem Topcu, Sien Eggers, Direction: Tom Goossens, Scenography: Anne van Es, Tom Goossens, Costume design: Lena Mariën, Light design: Luc Schaltin Een production of DESCHONECOMPANIE & Muziektheater Transparant, in co-production with NODUS vzw & Perpodium, with the support of the Vlaamse Overheid and the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgische Federale Overheid, with thanks to CC De Ververij