Talking to Miles David Romney, who plays Farinelli in FARINELLI AND THE KING at Southwest Shakespeare Company

Miles David Romney and Beau Heckman
photo by Devon Christopher Adams

by Gil Benbrook

 

Farinelli and the King is a relatively new play which premiered in 2015 in London and also had a Broadway run in 2017.  It received numerous Olivier and Tony Award nominations and is making its regional premiere at Southwest Shakespeare Company.

Claire Van Kampen's play is set over 300 years ago. This historical drama depicts the healing power of music as it focuses on King Philippe V of Spain who suffers from depression and insomnia. While some of those around him believe he's mad, and unfit to oversee running the county, the Queen has a different thought and sets out to find a cure for his problems. After hearing the famous countertenor Farinelli sing, and hoping that his angelic voice can solve the King's problems, she brings Farinelli to Spain. 

Local artist Miles David Romney plays Farinelli in the Southwest Shakespeare production, and he took some time in between performances to answer some questions about this play and his character.

Since the play only had a limited London and Broadway run, how familiar with the piece were you before you auditioned?

"Being a countertenor, and a student of history in general and the castrati in particular, and also being quite active in bringing shows to Broadway, Farinelli and the King hit my radar early. When Mary Way at Southwest Shakespeare told me in 2017 that she was working to bring the show to Phoenix, I said, 'count me in!'

 

You play Farinelli. What can you tell us about your character?

"Farinelli, particularly as he's represented in this script, is an archetype for 'trapped by your own brilliance'. Those who prove adept at a thing are often coerced into embracing it, whether or not it brings them joy and fulfillment. In Farinelli's case, he was gruesomely exploited in the bargain. His life reached an inflection point where escape was offered to him—and he took it. This does raise questions surrounding what responsibility gifted people have to society, and whether joy or accomplishment is of higher value. In the context of today's 'great resignation', and the wholesale reassessment our younger generations are doing of life, what they want from it, and how they can get it, these questions are more relevant than they have ever been."

 

Why did you want to play this role?

"As a countertenor, I have looked to the castrati with some degree of envy—the price they paid for their art notwithstanding. Even the greatest countertenors today cannot match the virtuosity, the athleticism, the strength and agility, of Farinelli. In the end, I would not trade places with a Farinelli, but the thought does make a flighty appearance from time to time. I am fascinated by Farinelli.

This role is distinctive, too, in that it gathers some of Handel's greatest arias into a single production, surrounding the compelling story of King Philiip and Farinelli. Musically and dramatically, the piece is unique."

 

Since the show is based on actual people, what kind of research have you done for the role?

"In a way, this has made research easier. Often when researching a role, one has to search for parallels and analogues across a wide swath of history and culture. Here, it is handily targeted. Several definitive volumes are available on Farinelli, the castrati, and King Phillip. Farinelli and the castrati are not new to me. But I hadn't previously focused on that last portion of Farinelli's life and career that he spent at the Spanish court. So, in preparing for this role, I focused there."

 

In the play, your character is hired by Queen Isabella to sing to King Philip V to help sooth his mental troubles - what music do you find most soothing?

"I began singing countertenor because I find it to be the most beautiful, most purely musical, voice; and because Renaissance and Baroque music is so often haunting and heartbreaking. My favorite music is Handel, Bach, Monteverdi, John Dowland, and Henry Purcell, among others. There's just nothing else like it."

 

What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing Farinelli and the King at Southwest Shakespeare Company?

"Audiences will never have seen anything quite like this; many people will never have heard a countertenor voice (which is as close to a castrato as we get, these days). I hope that people will go away having experienced something new, and that they will see something of their own life challenges in Farinelli or even King Phillip, that they will consider new avenues for compassion, and even question the ethics of art and what it can cost those who create it. And, feel joy in love and loyalty."

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs through March 20