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In the words of Michael Billington, “Plays about mad kings are always popular.” Add in the fact that Mark Rylance (who is batting 3-3 in the Tony Awards category) is the king and you have the makings of a truly astounding piece of work. Farinelli and the King tells the story of 18th-century King Philippe V of Spain and his struggle to cure his insomnia. Farinelli is a castrato that tries to heal the king with music.
The result is a whimsical, peculiar story of friendship and music that is rife with great writing. Farinelli and the King is playing at the Belasco Theatre, NYC.
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