The Merry Wives review " carry on, Falstaff
New Vic, Newcastle-under-LymeIt's full-scale farce with flat caps as Barrie Rutter takes on Shakespeare's shambling antihero for a third time with Northern BroadsidesNot even Shakespeare seemed overfond of The Merry Wives of Windsor: having apparently spent no more than a fortnight knocking off this all-prose potboiler at the behest of Elizabeth I, who couldn't get enough of Falstaff and commanded a sequel to the Hen…