Like Share. The queen, desperate to find a cure, hears of Farinelli -- a castrato with a voice so divine it has the power to captivate all who hear it. Farinelli and The King tells of the unification of two men who feel equally at odds with their position of privilege having been thrust upon them, and the role of the king’s wife, Isabella, in bringing them together. He never sings again. Farinelli and the King, theatre review: Wolf Hall's Mark Rylance brings brilliant, wrong-footing mischief as Philippe V. Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London For his part, Farinelli is increasingly attracted to his royal audience of one who, he says, seems to lean closer and closer in to attend the music making. FARINELLI AND THE KING Sam Wanamaker playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe MONARCHY, MADNESS, MUSIC Philip of Spain, grandson of Louise XIV and captive of 18c monarchic rigidity, is lying on his bed , fishing in a goldfish-bowl and announcing that it is all a dream. With this cast led by Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King is a polished and stylish entertainment with its authentic 18 th century ambiance. If Van Kampen’s script unsurprisingly falls far short of Shakespeare, Farinelli and the King also features what should count as a secret weapon — the singing of Iestyn Davies, a countertenor who provides what surely is the closest possible version in modern times to the arias sublimely rendered by the superstar castrati of the 18 th century such as Farinelli. Italian castrato Farinelli (Sam Crane) soothes the troubled mind of Spain’s King Philippe V (Mark Rylance) who suffers from what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders would code as a bipolar disorder. Duke of York’s Theatre I couldn’t have imagined that a play about a castrato and a depressed Spanish King would have so many jokes in it, be such fun. Farinelli and the King by Claire van Kampen. Farinelli and the King is a ""profoundly funny and haunting mediation on melancholy and the therapeutic powers of music"" set in the Royal Spanish court in the 18th century. A potted version of what happens next is given exposition, and Farinelli retires to Bologna. However, the script by Claire van Kampen has many of the hallmarks of a first time play. Farinelli starts slowly but finds its footing a few scenes in, when Farinelli and the king meet for the first time. The script wastes no time to let us see the dire mental state into which King Phillippe has retreated. ... Farinelli was blessed with the finest vocal kit in Europe but he resented working in a rustic backwater so he filled the longueurs by cultivating a chaste … Topics It may have a meagre script and no plot but Farinelli and the King is still a major work of art Plus: Rachel Cusk’s Medea at the Almeida isn’t a bad piece of yuppie soap, but it’s hardly Medea. There’s not much to Claire van Kampen’s simplistic script for “Farinelli and the King,” the play now running on Broadway after premiering at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Well not quite. • Farinelli and the King is at the Duke of York’s theatre, London until 5 December. Discover Broadway shows you love at the price that’s right for you. In Farinelli and The King, the new drama at the Belasco Theatre, the superb Mark Rylance portrays the king who ruled from 1683-1746. Footnote: I am informed by Melissa Maier of the Multnomah County Library in Portland, Ore., that a recording exists called "The Last Castrato," featuring Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922), who sang for the Vatican. Browse 500+ critical Farinelli and the King reviews & compare Farinelli and the King ticket prices. There’s not much to Claire van Kampen’s simplistic script for “Farinelli and the King,” the play now running on Broadway after premiering at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Farinelli and the King continues at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse until 8 March. Like observing a child absorbed in a solitary game: Mark Rylance as Philippe V in 'Farinelli and the King' The King dies of a swollen tongue. Instead, Farinelli and the King rather offers a glimpse into a perhaps cunning, perhaps entirely unplanned drama of an actor’s life within a play. Depressed and plagued by insomnia, Kind Philippe V of Spain lies awake in his chamber. Add twinkling candle-light with Handel arias drifting through, and you experience the therapeutic magic of those heady summers in… One cannot imagine this played by a lesser cast. https://stageagent.com/monologues/5350/farinelli-and-the-king/philippe-v The play employs a number of genres at once, but there is no amount of style that can cover up the script’s lack of substance. Despite support from the King’s physician Dr. Jose Cervi (Huss Garbiya), the Chief Minister of Spain Don Sebastian De La Cuadra… Now they have Farinelli lying on Philip’s couch while the king checks his teeth to confirm his age and I was pleased to see there’s more emphasis on interaction between Carlo (actor) and Farinelli (singer) – more of a sense of them squaring off against each other sometimes, and still that gorgeous moment at the end when they part ways. Farinelli left the court only when Ferdinand’s unmusical half-brother, Charles III, succeeded him as king. Iestyn Davies rotates the castrato role with Owen Willetts and Rupert Enticknap. It may have a meagre script and no plot but Farinelli and the King is still a major work of art. Depressed and plagued by insomnia, Kind Philippe V of Spain lies awake in his chamber. The King is having a bad day; he can’t catch a goldfish in a glass bowl. The Queen, desperate to find a cure, hears of Farinelli - a castrato with a voice so divine it has the power to captivate all who hear it. Lloyd Evans. The King, suffering from a madness brought on by depression, could only find solace and sanity in Farinelli’s heavenly tones. With beautiful music and sumptuous set design, Farinelli and the King at the Belasco Theatre is a treat for all the senses. Farinelli and The King Script This is optional. Farinelli and the King is directed by John Dove, with design from Jonathan Fensom. As good as Rylance is, Philippe’s madness can be just a little too cute, peppered with wit that doesn’t feel organic. King Philippe V of Spain has a “brain inflammation” and appears to be going mad. Depressed and plagued by insomnia, King Philippe V of Spain lies awake in his chamber. Even after it’s up and running, it slips into a mild torpor here and there. It begins previews on December 5 2017, with opening night set for December 17. "With its calculated anachronisms and Shakespearean quotations, Van Kampen's script is sometimes a bit knowing, but it interweaves story and song excellently." If Van Kampen’s script unsurprisingly falls far short of Shakespeare, Farinelli and the King also features what should count as a secret weapon — the singing of Iestyn Davies, a countertenor who provides what surely is the closest possible version in modern times to the arias sublimely rendered by the superstar castrati of the 18 th century such as Farinelli. Rather than portraying the King as a depressive, the script makes him decidedly batty, whether engaged in deep philosophical discussions with his goldfish or communing with the trees. For while it was Farinelli, played largely by an adequate Sam Crane, who voiced introspective lines about being yet another bird in a cage, lived out his own moment eerily behind. Rylance plays it thoroughly dry and deadpan, and is very funny indeed; more fun is added by a serious breakdown in the fourth wall as the audience become the villagers who live near the royal cottage in … Well not quite. "There is, however, unflinchingly good support from Melody Grove as the tenacious Isabella, Edward Peel as a testily impatient Madrid chief minister and Colin Hurley as Farinelli's deserted promoter, Metastasio." The Oscar winner delivers a tour de force performance as King Philippe V of Spain, whose sanity hangs on the voice of the castrato Farinelli. His refusal to get dressed and other strange behavior — like talking to his goldfish — have forced his wife, Isabella (Melody Grove impressively patient as the supportive Queen) to keep his chief counsellor Don Sebastian De La Cuadra (Edward Peel) from making him abdicate. Farinelli and The King is pretty much a perfect piece of theatre.More importantly, though, it’s perfectly timed. The King’s death, Isabella’s mourning, and Farinelli’s new role in the palace consume the ending of the play and seem to need more detail to strengthen the narrative; but, the denouement is necessary to fully appreciate the importance of Farinelli in Philippe’s life and reign and how his voice “kept away the other voices” in the King’s head that threatened to undo him. Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for Farinelli (Actor) from Farinelli and the King The Queen, desperate to find a cure, hears of Farinelli - a castrato with a voice so divine it has the power to captivate all who hear it. To paraphrase what is said in the fascinating new Broadway play “Farinelli and the King,” which opened here Sunday night, ... in the script or merely a squawk from someone in the seats. Finally, the Farinelli script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the castrato movie. Lloyd Evans. Philippe, Isabella and Farinelli live happily ever after in their Garden of Eden. It’s a show without purpose. Order Now. The Station Theatre's Farinelli and the King lacks identity but hits some high notes October 7, 2019 / 10:00am / By Jarrod Finn As apropos, albeit terrifying, a story about a world leader at his wit’s end—his psychological state very much holding by a thin thread—may be, I find myself quite perplexed by Farinelli and the King. This apparently true historical titbit is the basis of Claire Van Kampen’s Farinelli and the King, recently transferred from the Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse to the Duke of York’s Theatre. Farinelli and the King. There’s a lovely coda. Farinelli and the King is as much a play about the burden of responsibility and the yearning to lay down the mantle – be you King of Spain or King of the Castrati – as anything else. Is this Farinelli’s reason for staying, love for Isabella? Tickets £10-45 (returns only — contact the box office on 020 7401 9919). Farinelli and the King is a ""profoundly funny and haunting mediation on melancholy and the therapeutic powers of music"" set in the Royal Spanish court in the 18th century.