More2Screen Will Broadcast Shakespeare's Globe's THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

More2Screen has announced that the Shakespeare's Globe production of the hilarious The Merry Wives of Windsor will be broadcast live to over 325 cinemas across the UK and Ireland on Thursday 20 June 2019 at 7.20pm. The production stars Bryony Hannah as Mistress Ford, best-known from BBC One's Call the Midwife.

The live broadcast from Shakespeare's Globe will transport the cinema audience into the 'Wooden O', the building for which Shakespeare wrote his plays. It is believed that The Merry Wives of Windsor was written on the request of Elizabeth I, who loved Falstaff in Henry IV so much that she asked Shakespeare to write a play about the disreputable knight falling in love. Directed by Elle While, this new production will be staged with a vibrant background of 1930s and Elizabethan design created by Charlie Cridlan.

Director Elle While said: "Our madcap The Merry Wives of Windsor has everything from mischief and disguises, to lust and love, with lots of hilarity in between. The sumptuous design will include living plants, bringing the natural world into the Globe. We are thrilled to be sharing our uproarious show across the nation this summer, bringing the magic of Shakespeare's Globe live to cinema screens."

Bryony Hannah, a familiar face from her role as Cynthia Miller in BBC One's Call the Midwife, will play Mistress Ford. Bryony's recent credits include The Children's Hour (Comedy Theatre), for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award, Blurred Lines, Earthquakes in London (National Theatre), Unforgotten (ITV), and Cemetery Junction.

Pearce Quigley will play Falstaff. A regular at the Globe since 2011, Pearce has appeared in productions including As You Like It, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His other recent theatre credits include Simon Godwin's The Beaux' Stratagem (National Theatre) and The Wolf From the Door (Royal Court).

The full cast includes Hedydd Dylan, Sarah Finigan, Bryony Hannah, Richard Katz, Joshua Lacey, Forbes Masson, Anne Odeke, Jude Owusu, Pearce Quigley, Anita Reynolds, Boadicea Ricketts, Dickon Tyrrell and Zach Wyatt.