MANY critics consider the Merry Wives of Windsor to be one of Shakespeare’s weakest plays but surely the character of Sir John Falstaff is one of his greatest creations?

The fat knight is mentioned in four of William Shakespeare’s plays but only appears on stage in three of them.

His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, where he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V.

In the Merry Wives of Windsor, Sir John dominates the proceedings and becomes a huge butt of fun, with much mirth had at his expense.

Rod Moor-Bardell plays him as a towering tour-de-force, giving a performance that is so superb it almost appears he was born to play the part.

With Barbara Ingledew and Jude Bucklow alongside as Mistresses Margaret Ford and Alice Page, two wealthy married women, playing the foil to Falstaff’s down-on-his luck lover, it’s obvious Shakespeare Live’s 30th annual production is onto a winner.

The trio all made the most of the comedy in their parts, giving the action a huge lift that the complex plots and sub-plots thoroughly deserved.

There were excellent supporting performances from Laurence Parnell as the jealous Frank Ford, Iorwerth Mitchell as the Welsh parson Sir Hugh Evans, Graham Paton as the Country Justice Robert Shallow, and John Jameson-Davis as Shallow’s ineffectual cousin, Abraham Slender, as well as Paul Batson as Doctor Caius, the French physician.

I also enjoyed Lynne McCaffrey’s performance as Mistress Quickly, the servant to Doctor Caius, who pockets money from all and sundry who ask for her help.

As ever, with Shakespeare Live’s outdoor productions at Cleeve House, it is the house and gardens that provide the perfect and atmospheric backdrop, particularly as the sun goes down.

Directors Graham Paton and Pat Cannings have once again worked their magic with this production, but I guess even they didn’t anticipate the Cleeve House cat almost stealing Monday’s performance.

The Merry Wives of Windsor ends on Saturday, July 7. Tickets are available on 07780 938107. The play starts at 7.30pm.

John Baker