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. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/for the Guardian This fascinating story is explored in Claire van Kampen’s play Farinelli and the King… 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. 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. Farinelli and the King video clips including performance examples. His ministers think he’s mad and unfit to run the country, but the Queen is determined to find a cure. King Philippe V of Spain is plagued with insomnia and depression. Iestyn Davies (centre) as David in Saul at Glyndebourne. Farinelli and the King premiered at London’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, receiving six Olivier Award nominations. ★★★★ (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, February-March 2015) One of the most anticipated productions of the season, Claire van Kampen's new play explores the relationship between two men who have been elevated above their peers through no desire of their own: two sacred monsters, if you will, forced at a young age to adopt a way of… With this cast led by Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King is a polished and stylish entertainment with its authentic 18 th century ambiance. With this cast led by Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King is a polished and stylish entertainment with its authentic 18 th century ambiance. It should come as no surprise that Tony and Academy Award winner Mark Rylance delivers yet another virtuoso performance as Philippe V in Claire van Kampen’s Farinelli and the King at the Belasco Theatre. The multi-tiered set (with seating on an upper tier for some members of the audience) is of dark wood etched in gold and festooned with red brocade, with pre-electric chandeliers that are lowered in front of us, so that the performers can … Farinelli and The King Script This is optional. Farinelli and the King may not offer any eye-opening insights into the power of music to heal, but the show itself feels restorative – the music just part of its sumptuousness. If Farinelli and the King gets bogged down now and then – and it does – it also has its memorable elements, including its impeccable sense of time and place. It’s a show without purpose. The King is having a bad day; he can’t catch a goldfish in a glass bowl. 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. Individual scenes and moments stay with you, like the scene where Farinelli first meets Philippe. Rylance, on the other hand, rises to the occasion and gives another one of his extraordinary performances. It subsequently transferred to the Duke of York’s Theatre for a limited West End run. One cannot imagine this played by a lesser cast. 'Farinelli and the King' is inspired by the fascinating true story of Philippe V (Rylance), a Spanish monarch on the brink of madness who finds unexpected solace in the voice of world-renowned castrato, Farinelli. ★★★★ (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, February-March 2015) One of the most anticipated productions of the season, Claire van Kampen's new play explores the relationship between two men who have been elevated above their peers through no desire of their own: two sacred monsters, if you will, forced at a young age to adopt a way of… by Michael Bracken . To paraphrase what is said in the fascinating new Broadway play “Farinelli and the King,” which opened here Sunday night, opera once was a much dirtier business. King Philippe V of Spain has a “brain inflammation” and appears to be going mad. In “Farinelli and the King,” Singer Iestyn Davies Gives Actor Mark Rylance a Counter(tenor) Example ... Van Kampen’s jerky and erratic script busies itself with … Depressed and plagued by insomnia, King Philippe V of Spain lies awake in his chamber. If music be the food of love then ‘Farinelli and the King’ is a delicatessen of exquisite delights, in which the prime cut is the sensual richness of countertenor Iestyn Davies’s voice. In Farinelli and The King, the new drama at the Belasco Theatre, the superb Mark Rylance portrays the king who ruled from 1683-1746. One cannot imagine this played by a lesser cast. 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. Synopsis. He seems to be enjoying … Order Now. Claire van Kampen’s Farinelli and the King is a captivating testament to the healing power of music. However, the script by Claire van Kampen has many of the hallmarks of a first time play. However, the script by Claire van Kampen has many of the hallmarks of a first time play. Award-winning British actress Melody Grove has been a bit of a New Yorker lately -- first with the downtown hit The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (The National Theater of Scotland) and currently as Isabella Farnese, Queen of Spain in Farinelli and the King now playing on Broadway.