The Sacrifice of Farinelli is an original Australian work depicting a fictional interpretation of history inspired by real figures from the 1700s, Riccardo Broschi, a composer, and his brother Carlo Broschi – who went on to become the legendary Farinelli, an Italian-Neapolitan castrato and the world’s first true superstar.
Writer and director Stuart Bruce composed the piece as a reflection of contemporary society and its particular narrative.
“We live in a culture obsessed with optimisation: better bodies, better careers, greater visibility, technological enhancement, perfect performance,” says Bruce. “I recognised how perfect these historical characters were to carry the metaphors I needed to tell a story of sacrifice, obsession, and redemption.
In my own life, as all artists inevitably do, I struggle with self-understanding, self-compassion and living according to my authenticity, given I so easily fall into a new dream, creating worlds which inevitably lead me to new versions of myself that lead me to ask who I am meant to be.
At its heart, The Sacrifice of Farinelli asks: when does the obsession with art cease to liberate us and instead begin to consume our true identity?”
The initial catalyst for The Sacrifice of Farinelli came to writer/director Stuart Bruce about a decade ago when he became fascinated with the historical phenomenon of the castrati – a trinity of man, woman, and child in one body, cruelly engineered in order to achieve the ideal music of the time.
“Anyone who has devoted a substantial part of their life to making art knows that creativity can be both extraordinarily life-giving and extraordinarily demanding. You give it time, relationships, security, money, certainty — often without knowing whether anybody will ultimately care about what you’ve made. I understand the emotional territory of these characters very deeply.
Riccardo particularly fascinates me because he believes that if he can just achieve the extraordinary thing, everything will somehow be justified. I think that’s a dangerous idea, but it’s also an incredibly seductive one. I’ve wanted the production itself to embody that struggle: attempting something ambitious rather than making the safest version of the work possible.
For Bruce, this production is also about defining the kind of theatre he wants to make. “Theatre that is emotionally immediate, intellectually provocative and visually, technologically and sonically ambitious — but which is still fundamentally about human beings co-creating in a space together. Something AI can never take from us.”
Bruce admits that a huge amount of research has gone on to the development of the work with the research ranging from understanding Farinelli and Riccardo Broschi themselves, to Nicola Porpora, the social role of the castrati, eighteenth-century Naples, opera houses, patronage, social customs and the extraordinary celebrity culture that developed around singers like Farinelli
“Having read widely, I then took a step back so I would not get stuck serving historical truths only but instead get to the hypothetical (because history doesn’t record this necessarily) emotional and psychological truths of the characters.
As Stephen King said, “fiction is the truth within the lie”. In this sense, with historical fiction, we shouldn’t presume to know the hearts of characters simply because we know facts about them. It’s this gap that I step into and take dramatic license to tell a story that explores the themes I think are most interesting and entertaining.”
The work explores a number of themes including: Authenticity vs. Ego/Escapism or Nature vs. Narcissism. The sacrifices and delusions of the artist. Society’s claiming of the body and identity. Finding your authentic life/self-acceptance.
“I’m attempting to make a blueprint for how to reclaim your authentic life despite the incursions of narcissistic culture, new technology and the inevitable egoistic delusions that come with being a creative artist,” says Bruce
“To the non-artist, artists often look like magicians and in a sense, creativity is an incredible power that has the potential to corrupt and divert us from happiness. It’s my intention with this piece to tell a fun and inspiring story about how to find yourself and live your best life as an artist.”
The show is an immersive experience for the audience with actors performing all around them and technology and design drawing them into the world. Bruce would love people to leave the theatre and debate what the masked characters meant, what the technology meant, what Teresa’s role was and was she even real (and when was she real), why did Carlo leave, and how to interpret the ending given Riccardo’s experiences throughout.
Wearing two hats, Bruce explains that he chose to direct out of necessity so that he could hold a devising period, interrogate his style as would befit this development, and put on whatever eventuated without needing to get permission.
“I believe this piece has enormous scope, but I would need to be able to move quickly and I’ve changed direction dramatically multiple times in order to accommodate the organic evolution of the script.
The challenge is that I can only take it so far, being so close to it, so I hope to be able to hand over to a separate director in the future.”
The unique soundscape seamlessly bridges centuries, featuring baroque works from Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi fused with modern electronic and contemporary music elements.
“Music, sound, image, performance and technology aren’t decorative elements added afterwards — they’re part of the dramaturgy,” says Bruce. “I could hear and see a great deal of that world while I was writing it, so for this first production it made sense for me to carry that vision through to the room.”
Despite the serious themes there is a great sense of play, lots of audience interaction, ridiculous characters, and an enjoyable cheekiness to the production.
Says Bruce, “With the exquisite baroque music (with some modern electronic instruments as well), dancing, lavish costumes, mask work, fog and lighting effects, incredible acting, immersive tech and a profound journey into artistic redemption, I know audiences will enjoy a thrilling and profoundly moving experience.
This piece appeals to a broad range of people, some love baroque music or history, some because they’re interested in contemporary theatre and experimental new works, and others because the production incorporates immersive tech and electronic music.”
August 13 – 29
