Photo Title
Preview
Production Title
Falstaff
Production Date
1964
Photograph Caption
Act II, Scene 2, from the opera, "Falstaff" by Giuseppe Verdi. To avoid discovery by Mistress Ford's husband, Falstaff hides in the laundry basket; the wives pile soiled linen on top of him and send the basket to the laundry. From left to right: Mistress Ford, Dame Quickly , Mistress Page, and Falstaff. (Shakespeare, "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Act III. scene 3).
Dialogue
Mistress Page: "Your husband's coming hither, woman, with all the officers in Windsor,... You are undone....if you have a friend here, convey, convey him out....Call all your senses to you. Defend your reputation, or bid farewell to your good life forever."
"Mistress Ford: "What shall I do? There is a gentleman my dear friend, and I fear not mine own shame so much as his peril...
Mistress Page: "For shame! ..Bethink you of some conveyance. In the house you cannot hide him. Oh, how have you deceived me! Look here, here is a basket...he may creep in here and throw foul linen upon him as if it were going to bucking. Or--it is whiting time."
Falstaff: "I love thee. Help me away. Let me creep in here...[Gets into the basket] (Shakespeare, "The Merry Wives of Windsor," III.iii.113-150)
Play Title
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Venue
Stage; Opera
Company Location
New York (N.Y.)
Company Name
Metropolitan Opera
Place of Production
New York (N.Y.)
Genre
Comedy
Character
Mistress Ford: Gabriella Tucci (soprano)
Dame Quuickly: Regina Resnik (mezzo soprano)
Mistress Page: Rosalind Elias (mezzo soprano)
Falstaff: Anselm Colzani (baritone)
Object Type
black-and-white photographs
Size of Original
8 x 10 in.
Donor
Cole, Joseph E.
Repository
Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special Collections.
Format
jpeg
