By Hannah Wing-Bonica
Clowns can be traced back to 2500 BCE in ancient Egypt, but these were not the “clowns” that we know of today. They were known for their sharp insights and humor. In Verdi’s Falstaff, some might see its titular character as a clown, bumbling around and making people laugh. There is no denying that poor Falstaff’s character was written for laughs, but there is more to him. He’s just a guy trying to get by in life, the only way he knows how. Falstaff, one of Verdi’s last operas with libretto adapted by Arrigo Boito, is a comedy based on a combination of The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, Part One and Two, by Shakespeare. Despite a few issues with momentum in the first two acts, Pittsburgh Opera’s Falstaff, directed by Crystal Manich and conducted by Antony Walker, is a delightful production full of laughs and antics helmed by a solid cast led by Michael Chioldi as Falstaff.
The comedy Falstaff centers on Sir John Falstaff (Michael Chioldi), a former knight who is now spending his days drunk at the Garter Inn with his henchmen, Bardolfo (Rick Hale) and Pistola (Matthew Soibelman). But his carefree days are ending as he runs out of money. Falstaff’s affections quickly turn to Meg Page (Audrey Walsh) and Alice Ford (Danielle Pastin) and he sends love letters to the two rich ladies in hopes of wooing them. In fact, the letters do the opposite; Falstaff’s copied prose offends Meg and Alice, who decide to get their revenge. They devise a plan along with Alice’s daughter, Nannetta (Shannon Crowley), and their good friend, Mistress Quickly (Marianne Cornetti), to trick and lure Falstaff. Meanwhile, Ford (Blake Denson), Alice’s husband, gets word of Falstaff’s interest in his wife and devises a plan of his own. Of course, it wouldn’t be an opera based on Shakespeare without a side plot of two lovers, Nannette and Fenton (Logan Wagner), pining for each other against the approval of Nannette’s father, Ford, who wants her to marry the much-older Dr. Caius (Joseph Frank).
Throughout the entire opera, the audience looks straight into the bottom of a wine barrel (literally). The set, designed by Steven C. Kemp, consists of massive wooden arches like staves with a large circle at the end of the stage, representing the barrel’s open top. This is a perfect setting for Falstaff, but it comes with its hardships, as most very large and involved sets tend to do. The characters in Falstaff are stuck in this barrel like a storybook. Chioldi’s performance as Falstaff is comedic perfection, as he delivers jokes and Falstaff-isms about life with great timing, but it is also sincere. Falstaff is concerned with time; he isn’t getting any younger. His days of being a knight are long gone. Chioldi embraces this wary side of Falstaff, which only comes out when he is alone and life’s “party” is seemingly going on without him.
While the opera is called Falstaff, it should probably be called Falstaff and the Merry Wives. Scenes with The Merry Wives of Windsor, Meg, Alice, Mistress Quickly, and Nannette, plotting and executing their revenge, are all good fun. Whenever Walsh, Pastin, Cornetti, and Crowley are on stage together, there is an air of good humor with a dash of fierceness. They are ready for their revenge, as they should be!
Ford is an excellent foil to Falstaff. Ford is all about honor, and he will do anything to defend it, while Falstaff doesn’t care about honor. Denton channels this shimmering contempt for Falstaff and his solo, where he rants about women being demons and how he’ll take back what is very unsettling. Regardless, it is a pivotal moment for Ford as a character, and Denton sings his solo with superb richness.
While the cast is solid in both singing and acting, the first two acts quickly lose momentum due to pauses while the set changes. As mentioned before, the set is beautifully done, but several pauses with just silence and no interlude music take the audience out of the opera. However, the third act of Falstaff kept the momentum going with smooth set transitions.
If you have never been to an opera before, Falstaff is an excellent one to see. Even if you have seen Falstaff before, or maybe aren’t a fan of comedic operas, you don’t want to miss out on Pittsburgh Opera’s witty and uproarious production.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh Opera’s Falstaff opened on April 28, 2026 at the Benedum Center. Verdi’s classic comedic opera has performances on May 1 and 3, 2026, plus the Opera’s annual Student Matinee on Thursday, April 30 at 10:30am. Tickets at: https://opera.culturaldistrict.org/production/99223/list_performances\ or the Theatre Square Box Office.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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