The Belasco Theatre turned back in time to the days of plays by candlelight, with the Broadway premiere of Farinelli And The King, a play with music by Claire van Kempen, featuring Mark Rylance in the title role, for which was nominated for a Tony Award. A transfer from the Globe Theatre in the UK, plus a West End run, the play ran in New York from December 17, 2017 to March 28, 2018 in a limited run. Four additional Tony nominations include Best Play, Jonathan Fensom for Best Scenic and Best Costume Design; and Paul Russell for Best Lighting Design.
Candlelight is standard at the Globe Theatre, which strives to recreate theatre as performed in Shakespeare's day. LD Russell can't exactly say none of your beeswax when asked about the production, as in fact beeswax candles were used to achieve the lighting. As reported by Caitlin Houston in Broadway News last December, Russell, who is also project manager at the Globe, "auditioned 175 to 200 candles,” to find the right ones and make sure the "actors could actually be seen."
Setting the tone for the Spanish Baroque ambiance of the play, Fensom's set sparkles under the candlelight, which dances seductively on wood accented with gold leaf. Take a quick look at the lighting in this video clip:
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