| re: My review of FARINELLI AND THE KING: Mark Rylance returns to Broadway after a four-year absence (SPOILERS) | |
| Posted by: mikem 01:54 pm EST 12/17/17 | |
| In reply to: My review of FARINELLI AND THE KING: Mark Rylance returns to Broadway after a four-year absence - jesse21 01:12 pm EST 12/17/17 | |
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| SPOILERS below jesse21, I think you have it exactly right that the production is deliberately inviting comparisons to the Twelfth Night/Richard III production, but it comes up short in every respect. I felt a little bit like the way you feel when you see the disappointing sequel to the movie that you loved. Even the pre-show is not as interesting. The step down in the script from Shakespeare to this decent but minor work is immense. And the direction of the Shakespeare plays was much, much better. Here, as you say, it's efficient; the staging gets the job done. But it's not inspired, and I thought Twelfth Night, in particular, was extremely well-directed. Rylance does a great job, but it's not a great part. The king is mentally ill, so Rylance gets to show a wide range, often very quickly, but I had very little understanding of the person behind the flourishes. I don't think Rylance is winning another Tony here. I was much more impressed with Iestyn Davies than you were, but one of the issues is he's not an actor (and to be fair, he's not claiming to be one). All of his energy is aimed at the voice. His physical movement and his facial expressions are secondary. But I think his voice is beautiful. I thought the show was doing well enough until the extended breaking of the fourth wall in the second act, which seemed to break the spell the production is trying to cast. And then the king dies off-stage shortly afterwards and the play seems to be heading towards an abrupt end. But then there is this weird coda where Rylance returns, apparently as another character. I'm glad I read this board ahead of time so I had appropriately calibrated expectations. It's a decent night at the theater, but it's no Twelfth Night. |
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