OBSERVER: The Sacrifice of Farinelli
Having its Australian premiere, the play The Sacrifice of Farinelli is a bold undertaking by Subverse Theatre which asks the question “What price the pursuit of perfection?”
Set in the 18th century, two Italian brothers who live for music are Riccardo and Carlo Broschi.
Riccardo is a composer while Carlo, a singer with a heavenly falsetto voice, becomes the famous castrato Farinelli. Something of a muse to both, Teresa, destined to never be a lover of Carlo’s, eventually finds love with his brother Ricardo. The twists and turns of this romantic triangle play out in dramatic fashion in the courts of Italy.
Written by Stuart Bruce, the engaging original script is based on historical figures. In the first half the characters, their milieu and relationship dynamics and tensions are successfully established.
Unfortunately the second half is less successful, lacking the energy and vigour of the first half as it struggles under the weight of tying up loose ends of the plot.
This is no fault of an excellent cast of 10. Uniformly strong in their performances, four require special mention: Jesse Vasiliadis (playing Ricardo), Elsa Caruso (Teresa), Luca Mckenzie (Carlo/Farinelli) and Evangelos Arabatzis (Maestro Porpora). This quartet act with gusto and sensitivity to bring their characters to life.
Not just the playwright, Bruce also directs, ably assisted by two assistant directors Carlotta Migliolo and Lily Infantino. Best described as a form of stylised naturalism with gothic touches, the production team do a great job of realising the script’s baroque sensibility.
Apart from several poor lighting choices, the staging works well in the old bluestone church with splendid costumes, dance and music – recordings of Vivaldi, Bach and Handel are complemented with live and electronic music – all combining to create a sumptuous atmosphere of decadence.
While it does strike the occasional false note, The Sacrifice of Farinelli is, nevertheless, to be applauded for its striking ambitious vision and passionate intensity.
Venue: Bluestone Church Arts Space: 8A Hyde St, Footscray
Dates and times: Until August 29 at 7.30pm
Duration: 2.5 hours
Tickets: $42 Full, $35 Concession, and $30 Preview
Bookings: events.humanitix.com/sacrifice-of-farinelli?c=web
Review by Peter Murphy
Pictured: Yvonne Martin in The Sacrifice of Farinelli. Photo: Barbara Vood