The cage breaks open. Caravaggio breaks with it.

Chained in a torture chamber beneath the fortress, Caravaggio faces the Grand Master one last time. Faith against flesh. Obedience against desire. What follows is an escape down a fortress wall, a boat in the dark, and a fugitive painter running not toward freedom but toward the only thing he has left.

Act Three is the fall. Brutal. Beautiful. Inevitable.

Sicily. Caravaggio paints like a man on fire. In Syracuse, a burial. In Messina, a nativity. Each canvas more desperate than the last. Each one a confession he cannot say out loud. The genius is still there. The man holding the brush is disappearing.

Back in Rome, the news arrives. Lena. The woman whose face launched his greatest work. Gone. Caravaggio learns what it costs to leave someone behind in a city that devours the unprotected.

Cardinal Del Monte makes his final play. A pardon. A real one. Signed by the Pope himself. But the pardon needs a delivery and Caravaggio needs to stay alive long enough to receive it.

Naples. A prison cell. Malaria. Chains. The Grand Master finds him one last time. Two men who could never say what they meant finally say it. It is too late for both of them.

Then a swamp. Bandits. A boiling sun. A beach. A boy. Two nuns. And the Tyrrhenian coast, where the greatest painter of his generation reaches for the light one final time.

The pardon arrives. The man does not.

Act Three is reckoning. Loss. Grace. The moment the fuse runs out.

What you see in the art, you will find in the artist. What you see in the artist, you will find in the man.

Cast 

Dennis Kleinman · Narrator 

Craig Parker · Caravaggio 

Dan Lauria · Cardinal Del Monte 

Bruce Davison · Alof de Wignacourt 

Shaan Sharma · Stefano della Croce 

Catherine Lidstone · Lena 

Sarah Elmaleh · Maria 

Brendan Bradley · Annibale Carracci 

Noah James · Ranuccio Tomassoni 

Josh Sterling · Ottavio Tomassoni 

Zeke Alton · Giovan Tomassoni 

Nick Monteleone · Mancini 

Matt Curtin · Toppa 

Bjorn Johnson · Pope Paul V 

Ray Abruzzo · Pope Clement VIII

Written by Richard Vetere

Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell

Table Read is a Manifest Media production.

The cage breaks open. Caravaggio breaks with it.Chained in a torture chamber beneath the fortress, Caravaggio faces the Grand Master one last time. Faith against flesh. Obedience against desire. What follows is an escape down a fortress wall, a boat in the dark, and a fugitive painter running not toward freedom but toward the only thing he has left.Act Three is the fall. Brutal. Beautiful. Inevitable.Sicily. Caravaggio paints like a man on fire. In Syracuse, a burial. In Messina, a nativity. Each canvas more desperate than the last. Each one a confession he cannot say out loud. The genius is still there. The man holding the brush is disappearing.Back in Rome, the news arrives. Lena. The woman whose face launched his greatest work. Gone. Caravaggio learns what it costs to leave someone behind in a city that devours the unprotected.Cardinal Del Monte makes his final play. A pardon. A real one. Signed by the Pope himself. But the pardon needs a delivery and Caravaggio needs to stay alive long enough to receive it.Naples. A prison cell. Malaria. Chains. The Grand Master finds him one last time. Two men who could never say what they meant finally say it. It is too late for both of them.Then a swamp. Bandits. A boiling sun. A beach. A boy. Two nuns. And the Tyrrhenian coast, where the greatest painter of his generation reaches for the light one final time.The pardon arrives. The man does not.Act Three is reckoning. Loss. Grace. The moment the fuse runs out.What you see in the art, you will find in the artist. What you see in the artist, you will find in the man.Cast Dennis Kleinman · Narrator Craig Parker · Caravaggio Dan Lauria · Cardinal Del Monte Bruce Davison · Alof de Wignacourt Shaan Sharma · Stefano della Croce Catherine Lidstone · Lena Sarah Elmaleh · Maria Brendan Bradley · Annibale Carracci Noah James · Ranuccio Tomassoni Josh Sterling · Ottavio Tomassoni Zeke Alton · Giovan Tomassoni Nick Monteleone · Mancini Matt Curtin · Toppa Bjorn Johnson · Pope Paul V Ray Abruzzo · Pope Clement VIIIWritten by Richard VetereExecutive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark KnellTable Read is a Manifest Media production.

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Step inside the studio where Hollywood’s top actors bring award-winning screenplays to life... complete with a full cinematic score, immersive sound design, and the energy of a live performance.

Each episode is a front-row seat to a one-of-a-kind production: 20-plus working actors, world-class scripts from acclaimed writers, and film-quality sound crafted by Emmy-winning producers. It’s not just a podcast... it’s a movie you hear.

Recent guests include Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Ty Burrell, Joe Mantegna, Fred Armisen, and more.

 Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell  Manifest Media.

#1 Fiction Podcast | 2025 Webby, Shorty, and Signal Winner | Cinema for your ears.	

 👉 TableReadPodcast.com

Cinema for your ears. Performed by Hollywood’s best.Step inside the studio where Hollywood’s top actors bring award-winning screenplays to life... complete with a full cinematic score, immersive sound design, and the energy of a live performance.Each episode is a front-row seat to a one-of-a-kind production: 20-plus working actors, world-class scripts from acclaimed writers, and film-quality sound crafted by Emmy-winning producers. It’s not just a podcast... it’s a movie you hear.Recent guests include Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Ty Burrell, Joe Mantegna, Fred Armisen, and more. Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell Manifest Media.#1 Fiction Podcast | 2025 Webby, Shorty, and Signal Winner | Cinema for your ears.	 👉 <a href="https://www.tablereadpodcast.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TableReadPodcast.com</a>

Table Read

Table Read Podcast

Caravaggio - Act 3

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/87e31fc6-e29b-4449-bcbc-b4640132dabd/transcript