Shakespeare is coming to Clark Park this week, and all I have to say is: to picnic or not to picnic, that is the question.

From this Wednesday, July 25, to Sunday the 29, Shakespeare’s comedic classic, The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed in Clark Park at 7:00 p.m. The play chronicles Falstaff, a poor sod in Elizabethan England, who decides to solve his debt problems by wooing the wives of wealthy merchants. But of course, the wives have a plan of their own. The play is directed by Rebecca Wright and stars Jess Conda as Mistress Ford, Mary Tuomanen as Mistress Page, and Robert DaPonte as Falstaff.

All shows are free (although donations are accepted) and are performed outdoors in the park by the Shakespeare in Clark Park company. It is recommended that you bring chairs and blankets, as the performance is just under two hours, and there is no intermission. The play is family-appropriate and a great treat for those who’ve never seen it before.

Shakespeare in Clark Park was started in the fall of 2005 and has grown immensely since then. The free outdoor performances have become a much-anticipated event of the West Philly summer. As Mistress Quickly says, in the play, “Here will be an old abusing of God’s patience and the King’s English.” In the most fun way possible, of course.

Look for our review of this performance later this week.

– Kelly Lawler