SOURCE: Daniels, Robert L. “The Merry Wives of (West) Windsor.” Variety 280, no. 29 (14 August 2003): 7.

In the following excerpt, Daniels praises director Victoria Liberatori's 2003 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, particularly her contemporary Princeton setting and hip curtain call, which “very nearly had the audience dancing on the amphitheater steps.”

Princeton landmarks and the small nearby community of West Windsor serve as the locale for an often-boisterous update of William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Bard's frothy spree was apparently whipped up in a fortnight to please Queen Elizabeth's request to bring Sir John Falstaff back to life for a bit of holiday fun. The inspired gesture of Princeton Rep artistic director Victoria Liberatori finds frequent local news flashes from commentator Marty Moss-Coane of NPR's “Radio Times.” It's an amusing conceit that adds a little spunk to a cumbersome comedy that needs all the help it can...