Mark Rylance returns to the West End in Farinelli and the King
by Oliver Mitford on Tuesday 10 March 2015, 8:59 pm in Upcoming and New Shows
Claire van Kampen’s new play Farinelli and the King, having wowed audiences at Shakespeare’s Globe, will transfer to the West End in September 2015.
Farinelli and the King premiered at the Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse on 11 February, lit entirely by candlelight. The production is now confirmed to transfer to the Duke of York’s Theatre for a very limited run, opening in early September 2015.
Staring Mark Rylance as King Philippe V of Spain, Farinelli and the King is set in Italy 1731, and tells the intriguing true story of the famous castrato singer, Farinelli and his pull between a life of servitude at court with the King and the dazzling world of fame found in the opera houses of Europe. The production includes many of Farinelli’s famous arias from the 18th century, accompanied by a live, on stage Baroque quartet.
Producer Sonia Friedman is no stranger to taking work from the Globe into the West End and beyond, having produced the West End and Broadway transfer of Twelfth Night and Richard III in 2012, both featuring acclaimed performances from Mark Rylance.
Directed by John Dove and designed by Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and the King marks the first production to transfer from the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse since opening its doors to the public last year.
Writer Claire van Kampen was the founding Director of Music at Shakespeare’s Globe and has composed original scores for many of Olivier Award-winning director Matthew Warchus’ productions including La Bete, True West and Boeing-Boeing.
Farinelli and the King opens at the Duke of York’s theatre in September 2015.