Farinelli and the King
Closed 2h 30m
Farinelli and the King
82

Farinelli and the King NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(540 Ratings)
Positive
89%
Mixed
8%
Negative
3%
Members say
Great acting, Great singing, Absorbing, Great staging, Entertaining

About the Show

Oscar and three-time Tony winner Mark Rylance returns to Broadway in this new drama about Spain's King Phillippe V's bond with a legendary castrato. 

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Show-Score Member Reviews (540)

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110 Reviews | 18 Followers
95
Absorbing, Entertaining, Exquisite, Great acting, Great singing

See it if you are interested in history. Great staging. Great acting. The countertenor is FANTASTIC.

Don't see it if you don't like good theater.

55 Reviews | 11 Followers
95
Delightful, Enchanting, Great acting

See it if You love theater

Don't see it if You do not like period pieces Read more

83 Reviews | 22 Followers
95
Great acting, Riveting, Masterful

See it if Great acting is what you want, this cast is masterful! Mark Rylance embraces his character!

Don't see it if you are looking for a musical. This is a play with music.

97 Reviews | 44 Followers
95
Great acting, Great singing, Clever, Refreshing

See it if You love to see a great actor flexing his chops. Mark Rylance is a treasure and shouldn't be missed.

Don't see it if I can't think of a reason not to see it.

240 Reviews | 41 Followers
95
Delightful, Enchanting, Great acting, Great singing, Funny

See it if you want to see a play that touches all senses with ethereal voice of countertenor Davies. Sir Mark delivers humor in this historical piece

Don't see it if you don’t enjoy period piece or plays with baroque music Read more

154 Reviews | 20 Followers
95
Clever, Funny, Great acting, Great singing, Quirky

See it if you want to see a bizarre & fabulous history play with extraordinary singing by Iestyn Davies, plus Mark Rylance fully inhabiting his role.

Don't see it if you want fluffiness and/or do not enjoy baroque music. Even though there is music, a musical it is not. Also, if you do not like profanity.

69 Reviews | 18 Followers
95
Enchanting, Great acting, Great writing, Thought-provoking, Delightful

See it if you don't want to miss Mark Rylance creating an exquisitely-written role.

Don't see it if you hate brilliant writing and magnificent acting (or operatic singing. OK -there is that.)

248 Reviews | 66 Followers
95
Absorbing, Funny, Great acting, Great singing, Great writing

See it if You want another master class in acting, from Mark Rylance. I don’t know how well this would have worked with another actor, but exquisite!

Don't see it if You’re looking for a ton of action. This is a character piece, that creeps up on you, and breaks your heart, while being entertaining.

Critic Reviews (56)

Broadway & Me
January 6th, 2018

"This time out, Rylance relies too heavily on his bag of established tics and on the tolerant affection of his audience...I ended up not caring what happened to the king he was supposed to be bringing to life. Part of the blame has to rest with the play itself...Van Kampen's version of their story lacks tension or even heart...The show is all tell and too little show...Instead, van Kampen, a trained musician, focuses on creating opportunities for songs...The result is kind of a high-class jukebox musical."
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Stage Left
December 17th, 2017

“Rylance is simply captivating...The play itself, though, is nothing special, the plot thin and its execution serviceable...Luckily, the sum of this sumptuous, music-infused production is greater than its parts...The bond between Philippe and Farinelli is not explored as deeply as it could be...Faults aside, a delightful present of a show...Rylance’s performance, alone, is worth the price of admission, and what ‘Farinelli' might lack in depth it more than makes up for in spirited delight.”
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Daily Beast
December 17th, 2017

"There are a number of points of magic...These bewitching pivots help to carry you past the play’s thin and mostly wanly eventless plot, and the frustrating mysteries of some of the characters...Davies’ singing is peerless, yet dramatically it never feels as if we get at the heart of Farinelli. Farinelli’s relationship with the King, which the title implies is the impetus of the piece, is also a puzzle...If the story palls, look around you...your eyes and ears will leave 'Farinelli' happy."
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Financial Times (UK)
December 22nd, 2017

“History, drama and music are blended in a winningly eclectic style resembling opera buffa...’Farinelli ‘ starts to run out of ideas after the interval...The comic energy of the first hour duly dissipates while van Kampen’s dialogue loses much of its piquancy. The central theme of music’s therapeutic influence is also left underdeveloped. Farinelli might have made Philippe feel better. But did it make him a better king? We never really find out here.”
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Blog Critics
December 19th, 2017

“Well played all around, the production is blessed with the preternaturally naturalistic Rylance...The play moves from a tightly woven first act to a looser second...Rylance constructs his portrayals with astounding subtlety...Dove guides the cast with a steady hand such that the more broadly comical and stylized characters fit in with remarkable ease...Enchanting and funny...a wonderful opportunity to see one of our century’s finest actors in a role custom-crafted for his talents.”
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City Cabaret
December 26th, 2017

“A stage-worthy tale that is tailor-made for van Kampen's husband, Mark Rylance...Filling out the character of the Queen is one of the gaps in the Van Kampen play...Dove presents an ornate and undeniably sentimental transplant from London...Although the play lacks depth, it is a visual tour de force and scores with Rylance's performance and Farinelli's glorious arias. Theatergoers can't help but acknowledge the curative power of music.”
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DC Metro Theater Arts
December 22nd, 2017

“Visually the production could not be more exemplary...The staging is vivid and inventive...It’s not for those looking for more conventional structure or more contemporary problems...But for those who enjoy boarding a flying carpet to take them to a time and place with which we may have little connection, other than fellow human beings seeking a peaceful passage through the one lifetime they have at their disposal, I’m certain they will be happy to sign on for the ride.”
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scribicide
February 11th, 2018

"I don't believe in kings - or in gods, for that matter - but [Mark Rylance] may be the closest we have to either."
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