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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JULY 2022 5 THEATRE Falstaff, foolishness and fun – the knight wooing The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace) SINCE his arrival in Malta in 2017, prolific actor Edward Thorpe has ratcheted up quite a few roles on the local stage, and many of them with the MADC. This season alone has seen him take on the mantle of a 1950s police detective in Breaking the Code and a 1970s homicidal criminal in Wait Until Dark for the Club; he is now playing the farcical buffoon, Sir John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace). Switching from one character to the next must present its fair share of challenges – a notion Thorpe agrees with completely. "It's been quite a busy year," he acknowledges. "Usually, there are a couple of weeks in between the end of a show and the start of rehearsals for the next one, so my feet can touch the ground for a short time. That said, playing Roat in Wait Until Dark in May was quite intense as I had to find a murderous instinct in a very dramatic play, so moving from that to what is almost French Farce in Merry Wives has been quite a leap!" Yet he wouldn't have it any oth- er way. The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace) boasts a wonderful cre- ative team headed up by director Chris Gatt. "Chris and the rest of the cast are really good fun to work with, which makes the pro- cess to produce characterisation a lot easier," continues Thorpe. "The production is set in Sliema circa 1979-1981, so the whole cast can draw on local experience and characters to flesh out the play and the farcical elements be- hind it. As for Falstaff himself, he is quite the buffoon, so I have had to find my inner child and there is lots of playing going on!" John Falstaff has appeared in other Shakespeare plays – and in Merry Wives he is probably at his most foolish and obnoxious, with a fascinating mix of endearing and annoying qualities. "Falstaff is out for himself and, when he finds he is running out of money, he hatch- es various plans to obtain funds through the wooing of the two Merry Wives," explains Thorpe. "I would say his most annoying quality is that he is not bothered at all by stepping on people to get his way, and he likes to be devious and cheat his way through life. He is always hunting for the next transaction to fill his wallet!" Yet the actor does appreci- ate the character's better quali- ties. "He is also very lovable," he confides with a smile. "He is so caught up in his own devices that he cannot see how comical and how much of a buffoon he really is. So, although he can be a bully, a cheat, and a devious devil, we do side with him in the end." Thorpe has no doubt that the superb cast and behind-the- scenes team coupled with the idyllic setting of San Anton Gar- dens will all come together for a fabulous night out. "The play itself is a pure farce, so the au- dience should look forward to a night of unadulterated fun and, dare I say it, some interesting in- teraction!" MADC's The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed daily at San Anton Gardens, Attard, from 16 to 24 July, with all per- formances starting at 8.30pm. This production is supported by Arts Council Malta and is suitable for audiences aged 8 and over. Tickets and further in- formation are available at www. madc.com.mt. After a three-year COVID-induced absence, the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club (MADC) returns to the idyllic San Anton Gardens for its annual Shakespeare production, presenting the Bard's comedic The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace). Actor Edward Thorpe gives his take on the legendary role of Sir John Falstaff, a buffoon as obnoxious as he is comical Edward Thorpe and Gianluca Bianco (Photo: Justin Mamo) Left to right: Kim Dalli, Edward Thorpe and Antonella Axisa (Photo Justin Mamo)