4.5 out of 5 Stars

Mark Rylance is theater’s greatest living actor. Before I had ever even heard of him,  I was informed of this by a reliable source - our theater-going friend Margaret. Just before the start of the show, Mr. Rylance’s position in the pantheon of actors was spontaneously reconfirmed by the young woman serving me milk duds and scotch. Two rounds of Nice Fish at St Ann’s Warehouse and his Academy Award-winning performance in Bridge of Spies have only further served to support Margaret’s claim.

When you enter the Balasco Theatre, you are immersed in 18th century Spain with the costumes, the candlelight, and era-appropriate instruments setting the tone for this ethereal musical.  Farinelli and the King is based on the psychologically tortured life of King Phillipe the V and the castrato Farinelli. These two unlikely friends form a bond that spans nine years and brings respite to the King and the harried Spanish court.