El rey de la farándula

Contemporary devised theatre show that traverses the court of Philip IV through a character who acts as a thread linking the eras, with Baroque music and texts from the Golden Age.

The production sets its action at the court of Philip IV, a period in which letters and the arts reached their greatest splendour while the empire began to show signs of decline. A character of ambiguous traits, halfway between actor, comedian, singer and jester, guides the audience through that era as lover, confidant and spy, uncovering intrigues within the palace.

The tone moves between the sarcastic, the provocative and the emotional, with a human look at the monarch and his time. The proposal is conceived as a Golden Age cabaret: the performer, with an androgynous and baroque aesthetic, sings Renaissance and Baroque pieces alongside his pianist, and recites poems by Quevedo and passages from Lope and Calderón. Contemporary songs are added to the historical repertoire, so that past and present are combined on stage.

Ángel Ruiz is responsible for the dramaturgy, direction and performance, while Bru Ferri takes charge of musical direction and piano. The costume design is by Almudena Rodríguez, the lighting design by Rodrigo Ortega and the sound design by Kike Mingo. The production has been nominated for the XXIX Premios MAX 2026 in the category of best theatre authorship and for the Premios Talía 2026.