‘Wives’ Nearly Spoils Its Own Good Fun

Director Jules Aaron is nothing if not bold. Aaron’s staging of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at the Met updates Shakespeare’s roisterous burlesque to modern-day Bel-Air, an upscale and show-bizzy enclave indeed.

The adaptation, by Aaron and the company, tries to do for Shakespeare what “Clueless” did for Jane Austen. Despite intervals of raucous good fun, however, this charming but scattershot conceit never quite coalesces into a cohesive whole. Too often, it’s a case of every actor for him- or herself, with overly broad mugging and self-conscious posturing swamping the general merriment.

Despite the uneven tone, solid performances abound. Joel Brooks rings true as Frank Ford, an investment banker gripped with jealousy of his “merry wife.” As the scheming Ms. Quickly, wry Rochelle Robinson perfectly melds Shakespearean language with contemporary cadences. Matthew Walker is amusingly callow as the fortune-hunting Abraham Slender.

And Edmund L. Shaff is a serviceable Falstaff, although one wishes this “fading movie producer” were a tad less dapper and a shade more grossly dissolute. Mark Toresso’s malleable set, with its backdrop of palm trees and the Hollywood sign, is effectively lighted by Philip Mooers.

Wardrobe designer Bobby Brewer-Wallin attires everyone in handsomely trendy outfits. And Chuck Estes’ original music lends momentum to the proceedings, which at times could use a laugh track.

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* “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends March 20. $20. (323) 957-1152. Running time: 2 hours.