Falstaff : Live in HD Transmission Transcript
READ: Green Show Intro
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Hello. I’m Ryan Speedo Green. This is what happens when Sir John Falstaff has dinner. As you will see, Verdi’s Falstaff is a larger than life character, fit for the larger than life stage of grand opera. Falstaff sings that his kingdom is his belly. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor, Verdi’s genius was on fire when, at the age of 79, he turned from tragedy to comedy for his final operatic masterpiece.
Today’s production of Falstaff, brilliantly conceived by director Robert Carsen, provides a vibrant backdrop for the opera’s nonstop hijinks. The great Wagnerian baritone, Michael Volle, plays a self-deluded Falstaff who believes himself irresistible to women. To raise cash, he sets out on the improbable quest to seduce not one, but two of the merry and wealthy wives of Windsor. For Falstaff there are no half measures.
The opera is a comedic showpiece of an ensemble featuring a luxurious cast of Met stalwarts, including Ailyn Pérez, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Christopher Maltman, Hera Hyesang Park, Bogdan Volkov, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Carlo Bosi, Chauncey Packer and Richard Bernstein. They’re the ones stirring up the mischief and mayhem to cook Falstaff’s goose.
And now Maestro Daniele Rustioni is ready to go to the pit. Here is Falstaff.
INTERVIEW: Green w/ Michael Volle
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Hello, hello, Michael. Ve gates?
MICHAEL VOLLE: Hi, Speedo. Well, you see, uh, I’m not the freshest one – but it’s okay, it’s worth it.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Bravo, bravo on the first two acts.
MICHAEL VOLLE: It’s worth it.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: As one of the greatest singers of Wagnerian tragedies, what is it like switching from Woton to Falstaff?
MICHAEL VOLLE: Wagner makes a lot of fun. And, um – but this is joy, pure happiness. From the very first day of our rehearsals, everybody was lucky and we’ve – we’ve been looking forward to the rehearsals. And, really, if you feel bad and you do Falstaff – and I’m convinced that if you listen, you’re fine again. It’s – it’s great, it’s wonderful.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: What about the physical challenges of the comedy? Does that come naturally to you? I mean... (Laughs)
MICHAEL VOLLE: It is not heavy, this padded suit, this fat suit, but it changes everything. The way you move, the way – the way you sit down, whatever. And, uh, we have to find your way – how to sit down, how to get up, how to walk, how fast, how slow. It makes it fun.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Well, it seems very easy to you. Almost as if, like, it’s full of air because you’re so light on your feet.
MICHAEL VOLLE: No, it’s not full of air; it’s full of sweat and... Don’t come too close.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: In terms – in terms of the musical style, do you have to change your approach to sing Falstaff?
MICHAEL VOLLE: It’s a personal question. Everybody has to decide himself. And for me, it’s – the basic thing is singing as beautiful, as good as possible. And there is a lot of bel canto in Wagner and, of course, here too. Although this is such an incredible difficult piece, it’s an ensemble piece. No – div – diva, divo thing. And altogether very fast. And if you – if you start to think about the music once, you are late and you are off. Because this incredible wonderful colleague Daniele Rustioni in the pit and the colleagues there, they cannot stop, they cannot –
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah.
MICHAEL VOLLE: It’s “tick-a-tick-a-tick-a...” – it’s incredible music.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: People often say that the women in this opera are out to teach Falstaff a lesson. Do you think he learns anything from what he goes through?
MICHAEL VOLLE: Maybe not.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: (Laughs)
MICHAEL VOLLE: But you know, there is – the women are smart, like in our times, like in real life. And in the end, when he’s blamed, he says, okay, okay, I accept that. But without me, it would be boring, your life. So, I’m really important for you and so please respect me.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Thank you. Thank you, Michael. So, what a performance today. You know, thank you so much for speaking with me and good luck, toi-toi-toi.
MICHAEL VOLLE: I just – I have to say one word to all my family members – my wife is just in the moment in Berlin singing Arabella, and my daughters in Stuttgart – I love you, I love my wife, and all the friends, and brothers, and sisters, enjoy. I do. Have a good time.
INTERVIEW: Green w/ Marie-Nicole Lemiuex & Jennifer Johnson Cano
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Now I get to speak with Meg Page and Mistress Quickly, Mezzo soprano, Jennifer Johnson Cano and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemiuex. Hello, ladies.
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: Hello.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Hello. I have a microphone so I can...
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: you both look like you’re having way too much fun on stage there.
MICHAEL VOLLE: Too much? Why?
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah, I mean – not too much. Your camaraderie seems so genuine. How important is it to this ensemble spirit in a piece like this?
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: It’s the essential of this opera. You know, the spirit of team and the – and the – the musical, uh, precision. That’s what Verdi wanted. He wanted to have – we have – he wanted us having fun and to be precise. It’s terrible.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: It is?
MICHAEL VOLLE: It’s terrible because, yeah, we have to be like – like a clockwork.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Jennifer?
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: No, I mean, I think the more fun we have, the more fun the audience has. So, it’s absolutely essential while we’re on stage.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Can you each tell me a little bit about your characters and how you see your position within this group of ladies? You can start, Jennifer.
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: Oh, well, I mean, Meg is clearly great friends with Mistress Quickly and Alice. And, um, you know, I think Meg is there to have fun and to be of help however she can. And she certainly enjoys a drink or two. So, she’s – she’s a great comrade in arms for all of – all of her fellow ladies.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Marie-Nicole?
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Quickly, she’s like, um – she’s friends, of course, with Alice and – and, uh – and Meg. I called her Jennifer. I’m like... (Gibberish). Again, and, uh, she’s having also, uh, fun because she’s less rich than her – her pals.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yes.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: But she – she knows more about life and she knows more about men. So, that’s why, you know, she sent us – she sent her, you know, to – to visit. Uh, because she used to be in those worlds, you know?
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah?
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Bourg – how you say, bourgeois? And – and noble, you know? Because they’re two classes in this opera anyway. Sorry, I’m talking too much.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: No, no, no.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: My English go out... (Laughs)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Oh, no, it’s okay. I – I can barely speak English myself so I’m happy that you’re already two languages ahead.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Sorry.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: The ensemble singing in this opera is so intricate. Is that the hardest part?
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Yes.
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: Yes.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Okay. Quick answer, I love that.
MICHAEL VOLLE: Without a doubt.
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: It’s also the most fun. So, all of the work, it pays off because it’s so much fun. So, all the – the hours of headaches is –
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: What do you focus on the most so you don’t get lost? Like, musically, like, what do you focus on?
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: Maestro.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Maestro?
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: (Laughs)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: He’s listening and he loves this answer.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Maestro. Maestro, exact – exactly.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: How – how about the challenges of combining the complex music with all this physical comedy? What’s your secret to that?
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: Rehearsal. (Laughs)
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Yes, exact – exactly.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: I mean...
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: That’s – that – that is what is our job to be opera singer, you know, we have to – of course, we rehearse so much that we make – we make – we try to, uh – the staging enter in your body, so you know...
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: We did this show a lot, you know, Jennifer and me, we did twice – me, I said seven times this production. You, four?
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO: Three.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Three times?
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Well, I have to say watching you both, uh, in this – in this – in this first half has been amazing. All the physical stuff you guys are doing.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Yeah.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: You know, I can’t wake to see where this comedy takes us in the next act.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: Oh, we’ll see, we’ll see.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Thank you so much, guys, for coming out and talking to me.
MARIE-NICOLE LEMIUEX: (Speaks French)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: (Laughs) Ciao.
READ: Throw to tape
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Maestro Daniele Rustioni made his Met debut conducting Aida just sh – six short years ago, and he has quickly become a favorite of Met audiences and the company. Falstaff has numerous fast-paced ensembles that would keep any conductor on his toes. We sat down with Maestro Rustioni to talk about the very tricky act one quartet.
ROLL-IN B: Daniele Rustioni on the music of Falstaff
DANIELE RUSTIONI: Falstaff is Giuseppe Verdi’s last opera. He composed it when he was 79 and, uh, incredible – it’s a comic opera with some dark, uh, twists in it.
His first success was with Nabucco, his third opera. And then for many years of his career, he was just a very dramatic composer, a lot of tragedies. And at the end of his life, he decided to compose a comic opera based on this incredible character Falstaff, so from Shakespeare.
Verdi was seduced by the figure of Falstaff. He thought that Falstaff could blend the tragic and the comic, uh, in a perfect way. And I think the result is simply incredible. He created almost a new way of, uh, composing, uh, a comic opera.
Falstaff is the central figure, of course. The orchestra describes Falstaff in the first chords, so here we go! (Plays piano) The music is very descriptive. And then, uh, there are syncopated rhythms that really, uh, project us into this, uh, comic world.
Now, Falstaff is also, uh, an ensemble piece par excellence. We have the quartet of ladies, with Alice as the main character. The ladies are really the mastermind, the deus ex machina of what happens onstage.
Falstaff writes to Alice and Meg a love letter, you know, that – it has a comic twist because, of course, it’s Falstaff writing to married ladies, no, these love letters. So, after all the sparkling music now of these, uh, four ladies coming in on (Singing) tah-tah-tah-tah... And then the music stops. Now, always the same rhythm, and then this melodic, seducing Falstaff comes in (Plays piano).
And the audience, you know, is – is catapulted in this wonderful, uh, comic, uh, world. So, a lot of spark and, uh, uh, popcorn cooking, uh, I’d say, rhythms, and elements, and melodic aristocracy and elegance. Elegance is a very important word.
And, uh, we have even what is, uh, in this quartet of the ladies, uh, one very important element, one that I particularly love,, uh, which is the laugh onstage. Uh, I love and hate because it’s very hard to keep it together, yes? But, uh, again, how genius he places this laugh after another wonderful moment of contemplation and beauty of a wonderful line that Alice sings. And then you have this almost diabolic laugh sung by all the four ladies together, like chickens. (Imitating laugh) Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... And it’s just a coup de théâtre.
Verdi knew very well that it was his last opera, and he wanted to give us something of his experience. While he was composing this opera, many of his dearest friends died. How is possible that this music is so great, and fresh, and youth, with a lot of energy, notwithstanding all the tragedies that Verdi had in his life, no? Children dead. Wives dead. You know, many colleagues dead. And, uh, this is philosophy of life: how to take bad things, how to reshape your mind and your soul.
So, I think that's the miracle – that’s what makes Falstaff incredible opera, given as a gift from an 80-year-old man who was a genius.
READ: Green Neubauer / Toll / Throw to break
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: I can tell you from personal experience, it is essential to have a conductor at the top of his game when you’re navigating difficult ensembles like the ones in Falstaff. The Met’s Live in HD series is made possible thanks to the founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support is provided by the Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met Live in HD series is supported by Rolex.
Today’s performance of Falstaff is also being heard over the Toll Brothers Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. We’ll be back after a break.
READ: Green intro to tape
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Welcome back. Earlier this week, the Met’s acclaimed production of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier returned to the stage, and it will be seen live in cinemas on April 15th, two weeks from today. Sopranos, Lise Davidsen and Erin Morley star as the Marschallin and Sophie, and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey as Octavian, the teenager overwhelmed by his feelings for both women. Here is an excerpt from their famous Act Three from the final dress rehearsal.
INTERVIEW: Green w/ Samantha Hankey & Erin Morley
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Erin Morley and Samantha Hankey are with me now. Hello.
ERIN MORLEY: Hi, Speedo.
SAMANTHA HANKEY: Hey.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: That trio has got to be one of the most gorgeous moments in all of opera. How does it feel when the three of you get it just right?
SAMANTHA HANKEY: Probably like perfection. (Laughs)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah?
ERIN MORLEY: Really – the stars really have to come aligned, um, but it – it’s really a magic moment. I mean, the trio is one of the best things ever written in opera I think.
SAMANTHA HANKEY: Absolutely.
ERIN MORLEY: Yeah.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Can you feel the audience’s reaction to this moment? Can you feel it?
SAMANTHA HANKEY: I think so.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah?
SAMANTHA HANKEY: I think you – you can sense the energy from the audience and that they just appreciate this – this work so much.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Okay. All right, Erin, you sang Sophie when this production was brand new in 2017. What is it like returning to the role now? Do you feel your interpretation is changing?
ERIN MORLEY: Yeah. I mean, each time I sing Rosenkavalier it means something different, it means something new. Um, this piece has so many windows in for everybody. Um, I think what’s really special about this run is that the cast is – the combination of characters is so different.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Mm hmm.
ERIN MORLEY: And the energy that everybody brings is so unique. And so, the story means different things to all of us right now and – and it certain means something fresh and new to me.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Speaking of fresh and new, I mean, Samantha, you’ve had great success singing Ocatavian in Europe.
SAMANTHA HANKEY: Yes.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: But you are new to this production.
SAMANTHA HANKEY: I am.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: What has it been like working on this Rosenkavalier with this group of singers been like for you?
SAMANTHA HANKEY: Absolutely incredible. I mean, not to mention that in this cast we have a couple of role debuts that have just been absolutely tremendous. But, um, being on this set has been really special for me because I remember being in the coaching room downstairs in 2017 when I was part of the National Council auditions, coaching for the – the competition and seeing this set. So, it’s come full circle.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah. All right. Erin, Samantha, we’re really looking forward to Der Rosenkavalier, uh, on April 15th. Thanks for coming to speak with me today.
ERIN MORLEY: Thank you.
SAMANTHA HANKEY: Thank you so much.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: See you.
SAMANTHA HANKEY: See you soon.
READ: Green PSA / Fundraising / Throw to HD Season Preview
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Erin, Samantha and their costar Lise Davidsen are all artists in the absolute peak form and they’ve been earning well-deserved raves for their performances. But I have to say, as extraordinary as the three of them will be on screen in a couple of weeks, the only way to experience the full amazing effect of their artistry is to be here in the opera house. Nothing compares to the greatest voices soaring over a majestic orchestra live in the auditorium. So, please, come to the Met or visit your local opera company.
Both Falstaff today and Der Rosenkavalier on April 15th are vivid, witty productions from director Robert Carsen. And both feature extraordinary ensemble casts. Needless to say, assembling all the artistic ingredients to put on productions of this caliber with this level of singers is expensive. Ticket sales cover only a fraction of the cost. So, the Met depends on audiences like you to help make these productions possible. Please, if you’re able to make a donation to the met, I encourage you to visit metopera.org/membership, or call us at 1-800-MET-OPERA. You can also text HDLIVE to 44321 to make a contribution. Thank you.
There are four more Live in HD movie theatre presentations left this season, including, I’d like to point out, Terence Blanchard’s Champion, in which I...
INTERVIEW: Green w/ Christopher Maltman
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: I’m joined now by my bass clef brother, baritone Christopher Maltman, who sings the role of Ford. How are you doing, man?
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Stop being so tall and handsome. (Laughs)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Well, thanks – thank you so much.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Let’s talk about the plot. In addition to teaching Falstaff a lesson, you and your wife, Alice Ford, are each out to trick each other as well. Is it hard to keep track of who’s tricking who?
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Absolutely not because I’m in charge of absolutely everything until the moment that I’m not and then the joke is – joke is turned on me. But I think that I’ve got everything under control, like all good opera semi-villain – villains do.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Mm hmm. Christopher, you’ve sung a number of comic roles at the Met, including Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Don Alfonso in Così Fan Tutte and Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. How would you characterize the specific comic demands of Falstaff compared to those other ones?
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Falstaff is a very serious comedy. I think the essence of all comedy in Shakespeare is how seriously everybody takes things. The higher the stakes are, the more – the funnier the audience find it because we are the unwitting dupes, we are the – for us, there is no comedy whatsoever. So, we have to play absolutely straight down the line. And then the comedy happens.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: As a person who’s done it with you, you’re absolutely a master at this.
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Thank you.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Maestro Rustioni is so impressive. What are some of the specific things in Verdi’s score he’s been emphasizing with the cast?
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Uh, this piece is like a Swiss watch. It is full of tiny, tiny little cogs, any one of which spring out and then the whole watch stops working. So, um, Daniele Rustioni, who I consider to be really one of the very, very great conductors of – of opera that I’ve ever worked with, um, he has been emphasizing the fact that we all need to do our bit to stay exactly where we should be and, uh, that everything has to run, as I say, like clockwork.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: He’s a true floor general. I’ve – I’ve worked with him too. He’s amazing.
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Yeah.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: A couple of weeks ago, you were standing where I am no, hosting the HD presentation of Lohengrin. It’s fun – but pretty stressful. Wouldn’t you agree?
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: I like to be on this side, thank you very much. I like to be – to be interviewed and to sing and do my actual job. But, hey –
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Christopher, my brother, thank you, thank you. Toi-toi-toi for the rest.
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Thank you. Can I – can I just have a quick shout out? I have to say hello to everybody, to the Love Choral Society, who are listening, in Hull, and to everybody in my adopted city of Vienna.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Ciao.
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN: Bye bye.
INTERVIEW: Green w/ Ailyn Pérez & Hera Hyesang Park
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: And now I get to speak with mother and daughter of the Ford Family, sopranos Ailyn Pérez and Hera Hyesang Park. Hello, ladies.
AILYN PÉREZ: Hi, hi.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Hello. How are you?
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Ailyn, you are returning to the role of Alice Ford, which you sang in this production in 2019. And you still seem to be relishing in the role. What are the rewards for you in this role and this particular staging?
HERA HYESANG PARK: oh, my goodness. Well, this is one of the only comic roles that I sing nowadays, so I’m having a ball. And there are strings of text, which we call tongue-twisters and, um, it’s adding all of the musical elements with these wonderful brilliant stage partners that I absolutely adore, and that makes the piece fresh and challenging every single time.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: And we’re lucky to have your voice in this.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Thank you.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Hera, this is an updated production, you know, but it’s still set in a time long before me or you were born.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Mm hmm.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Are you having fun with the period costumes in a 1950s setting?
HERA HYESANG PARK: Well, I have to say it’s not really familiar, um, period for me. But I slowly grew into this. I’m really fascinated with this kind of pastel tone of production and the costumes and that little bit overly exaggerated hair decorations. Now I am living as a nomad, homeless by choice for over seven years –
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Wow.
HERA HYESANG PARK: — trying to find a place for myself. And I have to say, I will add a little bit of flavor of ‘50s in my first apartment, if it happens one day. (Laughs)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: That’s awesome. No, it fits both of you very, very well. Ailyn, we’ve spoken a lot today about the hilarity in this opera, but we’ll see in the last act it’s also a story of great poignancy and humanity. Would you touch a little bit about that aspect of the piece?
AILYN PÉREZ: I wish I could. No, I’m – I’m just having so much time – so much fun being a little bit naughty. You know, I think what’s great about this piece is, it’s so mean of everyone to be picking on Falstaff but the truth is Falstaff is in each and every one of us. And I love embracing the outsider, the person who we like to be mean to and then realize how cruel we are. So, I love the role reversal, the flipping the scripts ideas and – and feeling of this. But in the end, we all take a dose of humility and I think we all have a last laugh.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah. Don’t spoil too much. Hera, I understand that you practice meditation to keep calm amid the craziness of working in opera. Is that right?
HERA HYESANG PARK: Yes. So, I’ve been always so familiar, uh, or like, curious about the spirituality when I was young. But the last pandemic, it really woke me up and I started to do the meditation, um, almost every day with yoga. And I realized the power of practice.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yes.
HERA HYESANG PARK: And it applies also in singing. It’s really helping me a lot to focus and then reducing my ego and be in the present, enjoy every second moment.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Thank you, thank you.
AILYN PÉREZ: One more thing.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yeah?
AILYN PÉREZ: We want to express our gratitude because our families have really sacrificed so much for us.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Yes.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Yes.
AILYN PÉREZ: And it’s such an honor. So, Mom and Dad, thank you. (Crying)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Aww...
AILYN PÉREZ: (Speaks Spanish) – in Mexico and California...gracias.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Muchas gracias. (Speaks Spanish)
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Well, ladies, thank you.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Thank you.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: It’s time to move into our final act today.
AILYN PÉREZ: Yes.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Many thanks to you both.
AILYN PÉREZ: Thank you.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: And it’s been great speaking with you.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Thank you very much, Speedo.
AILYN PÉREZ: And toi-toi-toi for Champion.
HERA HYESANG PARK: Yes. Cheers.
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: Ciao.
READ: Throw to Act III
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN: At the end of the previous act, Falstaff has been thrown into the River Thames, but even that won’t stop him. Meanwhile, the merry wives of Windsor have plans of their own. Here is Act Three of Falstaff.