By day, members of the Actors’ Circle Theatre are just like everybody else. They work, make dinner and mow their lawns. But at night these past six weeks, they’ve been hard at work transforming themselves into Elizabethan sitcom actors for their upcoming outdoor performances in a Shakespeare in the Park production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Their role models, they say, are the 1950s kings and queens of television sitcoms.

A sitcom is probably the last thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Shakespeare, but for Actors’ Circle Director John Sefel of Milford it was a no-brainer for this domestic comedy about greed, revenge and female ingenuity that begins Saturday in Peterborough’s Depot Square Park.

“The 1950s seemed perfect,” said Sefel. “The setting has allowed us to give a modern context to the play’s plot, without getting in its way or bogging it down, resulting in an accessible and hilarious, timeless tale of the battle of the sexes. ‘Merry Wives’ is the Elizabethan equivalent of a ‘50s sitcom. From a Ralph Cramden-esque lead to a pair of perfectly witty Wilma and Betty wives, and from laundry to laughter, it’s the Shakespearean version of ‘I Love Lucy.’ ”

Keene’s John Jantson plays Sir John Falstaff, a womanizing swindler on the prowl to fill his coin purse. Jantson draws on the character of Ralph Cramden from “The Honeymooners,” while Kimberley Miller of Jaffrey and Taryn Cagnina of Reading, Mass., who play the wives of the title, take a cue from the sensible, but fun-loving women in “The Flintstones.”

At first glance, the 1950s might seem an implausible setting for a play by William Shakespeare, who lived in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. But like the United States in the 1950s, life in the Elizabethan era was a time of domestic peace and prosperity in England. England had her queen, and America had hers. In the 1950s, Lucille Ball was queen of television sitcoms.

“And, the women [characters] ruled the play, too. Hence, it’s called ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor,’” notes Mariah Sefel, Actors’ Circle stage manager and Sefel’s wife.

Falstaff is a character audiences love to hate.

“They’re way too smart for him,” Mariah said of the wives, who easily outsmart the greedy Falstaff as he attempts to steal their virtue and their husbands’ money.

While Falstaff is busy faking passionate desire for two married women, true love blooms between Anne Page, played by Ariel Temple, and Fenton, played by Ryan Demers, both of Keene. Like the characters of “Romeo and Juliet,” these lovers have some obstacles to overcome, but instead of ending in tragedy, Anne and Fenton’s story takes an amusing turn.

“Its characters you can all relate to,” Mariah said. “It’s got humor I think the whole family will enjoy.”

This year is the community theatre’s third annual Shakespeare in the Park series. Beginning Saturday at 5 p.m. and continuing on Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 15, this year’s shows will take place at Depot Square Park in Peterborough in fair weather and, if it rains, at The Peterborough Historical Society on Grove Street.

“It’s a great way to get people who may not have planned to see a show like that,” Mariah said of the outdoor performances in public. “It draws them in — the audience.”

Shakespeare in the Park is also a way for the theater group, which got its start in 1988, to give back to the community in appreciation of its support. “This is just something we decided to add to the repertoire as something we do every summer around the same time,” Mariah said.

The community theatre offers people of every age — youths, adults and everyone in between — the opportunity to share their gifts on the stage. Performing for the first time this year are Brock Houghton, 10, of Greenville and Alex McCall, 10, of Peterborough. The theater group is blessed with having so much local talent, Mariah noted.

“Everybody who’s involved with this are all volunteers,” she said. “We do it because we love it and because we love to entertain the audiences who come to the shows.”

Shakespeare in the Park performances are free and donations are welcome. Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets to fully enjoy the on-the-lawn experience.

Actors’ Circle is a nonprofit organization that brings award-winning theatre to the Monadnock Region.

It’s continuing mission
is to foster enjoyment and participation in the theatre arts.