Farinelli and the King - casting for W/E transfer announced
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
CASTING has been announced for the West End transfer of Farinelli and the King, which runs at the Duke of York’s Theatre from September 14 to December 5, 2015.
Joining Mark Rylance (as Philippe V, King of Spain) are Globe cast members Iestyn Davies, who sings the role of Farinelli, Sam Crane, who acts the role of Farinelli, Huss Garbiya (Doctor Jose Cervi), Melody Grove (Isabella Farnese), Colin Hurley (Metastasio) and Edward Peel (De la Cuadra).
Iestyn Davies shares the singing role of Farinelli with Rupert Enticknap.
Tickets are now on sale at www.atgtickets.com/shows/farinelli-and-the-king/duke-of-yorks/.
Previously Posted: Claire van Kampen’s sumptuous new play with music, Farinelli and the King, starring Mark Rylance, is transferring to the Duke of York’s Theatre for a limited run – from September 14 to December 5, 2015.
Set in eighteenth-century Spain and Italy, the play tells the true story of Farinelli, once the world’s most famous castrato, and his decision to trade fame and fortune for a life of servitude at the court of King Philippe V.
Farinelli and the King explores the intriguing dynamics between Farinelli and the royal couple and is replete with some of the greatest arias of the period.
Farinelli and the King premiered in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in February 2015 and Mark Rylance reprises his role as King Philippe of Spain. Further casting is still to be confirmed.
Mark Rylance, former artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe, was previously seen at the venue in 2012 in Tim Carroll’s hugely lauded sell-out productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III, which subsequently enjoyed successful West End and Broadway runs.
His other theatre credits include Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, (Royal Court, West End, Broadway), for which he won Critics’ Circle, Evening Standard, Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actor, La Bête (Comedy Theatre), Endgame (Duchess Theatre) and Boeing-Boeing (West End and Broadway), for which he won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.
He has recently been seen on television playing Thomas Cromwell in the BBC2 adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novel Wolf Hall.
For this production of Farinelli and the King, the Duke of York’s Theatre will be lit almost exclusively by the glow of candle-light and feature live music played on Baroque instruments.
Farinelli and the King is directed by John Dove, with design by Jonathan Fensom and musical direction/harpsichord by Robert Howarth.
Jennifer Haley’s critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning The Nether continues at the Duke of York’s Theatre until April 25. It will be followed – from April 29 to August 1 – by Hay Fever, starring Felicity Kendal and Simon Shepherd. And for younger theatregoers, there’s Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather (August 6 to September 6, 2015).