
The Merry Wives of Windsor – REVIEW

Opera Bites bills itself as a “boutique opera company specialising in fully costumed miniature operas” and other light entertainment.
The small company presents its productions in various venues around Sydney, including pubs, restaurants, historic houses and even an agricultural shed once.
The company’s latest production, The Merry Wives of Windsor, was performed at the rather grand Embassy Conference Centre in Broadway.
Composer Otto Nicolai is mostly known for this work, which is called a singspiel – an opera with spoken dialogue. Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based his libretto on Shakespeare’s play of the same name, in which the pompous, vain Sir John Falstaff is exposed as an arrogant fool by two ladies of Windsor.

You remember, Sir John Falstaff was the young Prince Hal’s carousing companion until the newly crowned King Henry terminated his relationship with the vainglorious drunkard.
Murray Dahm’s bottom-of-the-barrel bass is perfect for Falstaff, whose simultaneous amorous approaches to two wealthy ladies in the hope of enriching himself end in disaster when he is hidden in a large laundry basket and dumped in the muddy river.
Rae Levien is an energetic Mistress Ford, with a soprano that soars in anger – or laughter!
Her friend Mistress Page, is sung by Eliane Morel, whose expressive face and gestures are a pleasure to watch.
Rik Dawson plays Alice Ford’s jealous husband, Elli Bortolotti sings Mistress Page’s daughter Anne, and Peter-John Layton’s mellifluous tenor rounds out the ensemble as Fenton, Anne Page’s paramour.
The musical director on the piano is Zsuzsa Giczy, who keeps the action moving along with her instrument standing in for an entire orchestra.
It was a really entertaining and fun afternoon, and the entire audience left the venue thoroughly delighted, with big smiles across their faces.
If you’ve never been to an Opera Bites production, you simply must go. You will not be disappointed!