The Merry Wives of Windsor

About the performance

Falstaff is skint. Dismissing his band of reprobate followers is simply insufficient to shore up his finances. So he decides to seduce the wives of two merchants in Windsor in the hope of relieving them of some of their wealth. However Mistress Page and Mistress Ford are best friends who keep no secrets from one another – so when they receive identical love letters from Falstaff they are outraged, and vow to share revenge. Falstaff, led by an organ that isn’t his brain, endures humiliation, then terror, and even physical pain in his repeated amorous pursuits. Eventually the merry wives, their husbands and half of Windsor all unite to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!

Performed in the great outdoors by five phenomenal professional actors, this fast-paced production has been created using only the First Folio text – the most authoritative edition of Shakespeare’s plays. Join the sensational international-award-winning Illyria this summer for a night of laughter and hijinks under the stars.

Running time: 140-minutes (approximately), including a 20-minute interval.
Suitable for all ages

Tickets and important information

Tickets are pre-book only for our Open Air Theatre, and will not be available on the door on the day of the performance. Please note: Theatre performances are not included in the Museum annual membership as the performances are outside the Museum standard opening hours.

£20.00 Adults

£14.00 Children aged 5 – 17 yrs

£4.50 Children aged 2 – 4 yrs

£62.00 2 Adult Family (2+2)

£42.00 1 Adult Family (1+2)

Under 2’s Free

All these events are outdoors so please do dress for the weather and bring a rug or camping chair with you.

There will be refreshments available to purchase and we welcome you to bring your own picnic to enjoy.

Grazing Boxes

New for 2025 – you can pre-book a Grazing Box for two to collect and enjoy at our Museum. (Only available on pre-order – booking window closes 7 days before performance date).

Choose from:

• Grazing Box for two: A selection of finger sandwiches (Ham, Chicken, Ham/cheese salad) on artisan bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)
• Grazing Box for two (Gluten Free) : A selection of finger sandwiches (Ham, Chicken, Ham/cheese salad) on gluten free bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)
• Vegan Grazing Box for two: A selection of Vegan finger sandwiches (vegan cheese, vegan ham, roasted vegetables with tomato pesto) on artisan bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)
• Vegan Grazing Box for two (Gluten Free): A selection of Vegan finger sandwiches (vegan cheese, vegan ham, roasted vegetables with tomato pesto) on gluten free bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)

You can add your grazing box choice to your ticket order, just follow the instructions once you have chosen your theatre performance tickets. The grazing box options will pop up for you to add the quantity to your basket, make sure you select the date that matches the theatre performance you are visiting – you can double check this in your basket.

Grazing boxes can be collected from the Museum café from 5pm, doors open from 5.15pm with the performances start from approximately 6pm onwards. Your ticket with have confirmation information for the individual performance.

Just a polite note that dogs are NOT permitted to attend the theatre evenings, unless they are an assistance dog. Please note that the Café & Shop/Admissions will be operating on a CASHLESS basis only during this evening, therefore we will be accepting card payments ONLY.