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Experience Shakespeare’s comedy “Merry Wives” on GREAT PERFORMANCES – May 20 at 9 pm
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“Merry Wives”
Friday, May 20 at 9 pm
Recorded summer 2021 at The Public Theater’s beloved Free Shakespeare in the Park, Great Performances presents playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedic spinoff “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Directed by The Public’s Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali, the production is set in South Harlem where immigrants of the West African diaspora are living side-by-side with their African American neighbors. A New York story about tricks of the heart, featuring the Bard’s most beloved comedic characters, this farce tells the story of the charlatan Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter and vitality. Stars Jacob Ming-Trent as Falstaff, Pascale Armand as Madam Ekua Page and Susan Kelechi Watson as Madam Nkechi Ford.
The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of MERRY WIVES at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, August 25, 2021.
Great Performances: Merry Wives is part of the series’ fifth annual “Broadway’s Best” lineup, premiering Fridays, May 13-27 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/broadwayonpbs and the PBS Video app as part of #PBSForTheArts. The spring lineup also includes the West End revival of Cole Porter’s classic musical Anything Goes, featuring Tony Award winners Sutton Foster and Robert Lindsay; and Keeping Company with Sondheim, a documentary spotlighting the current acclaimed Broadway revival and legacy of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical “Company,” featuring new interviews with Sondheim, Tony and Grammy winner Katrina Lenk, two-time Tony and two-time Grammy winner Patti LuPone and more.