"Amadeus": On the Burdens of Genius

New Rep’s rather magnificent production of “Amadeus”— a show about the burdens of genius on both the individual and those around him -- begins with Antonio Salieri muttering to himself as the audience takes their seats.   As Salieri, Benjamin Evett carries the show, which is no easy feat given its heft, depth, and length!  Evett’s characterization of the jealous, duplicitous composer is mesmerizing, and his transformations from old to young, and back, sublime.  

The show invites us into the mind and world of Salieri, who knows his own gifts to be dwarfed by those of the foolish young boy whose work, Salieri says, channels God.  Upon first reading a Mozart piece, Salieri laments that he will never be as good as Mozart, no matter how long or hard he works -- a sentiment made particularly painful by the contrast in their characters.  As we are meant to, the audience constantly compares the substantive, serious Salieri with the fatuous but enormously gifted Mozart, played by Tim Spears (who, it must be said, comes off more like a caricature than a character until he finally becomes a real person at the end of his life).

On the whole, there is something good to be said for each individual actor, but the production as a whole does not entirely gel the cast into an ensemble.  One of the largest disconnects is between the stylized portrayal of the men of the court and the serious construction of the role of Mozart’s wife (played with great feeling by McCaela Donovan).  The show could also have benefited from some judicious cutting, perhaps in the first act (which moved too slowly), allowing the intermission to come later, so that the second act did not go so long without a break.

Our favorite part of the production was probably the “venticelli” (little winds), two gossiping, whispering spies (played by the expert Paula Langton and Michael Kaye), who bring Salieri the news of the town, gallivanting around the stage and using their masks and wigs to great effect.  They, more than the other characters, use the full stage, including the enormous wooden slide/set piece with a fabulous geometric design, which becomes a church window, a podium, and other set pieces in turn (kudos to Cristina Todesco and Mary Ellen Stebbins, respectively the scenic designer and the lighting designer, for their terrific collaboration).  A big “nice job” to director Jim Petosa also on the brilliant stage pictures created by the intersection of the various production elements and the actors’ bodies in the geometric space of the stage and set.

~ Shauna Shames & Johanna Ettin, New Rep Reviewers

Mozart through Salieri's Eyes

by Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer

 

New Rep concludes their season with a wonderful production of the TONY winning play Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, which inspired the film of the same name.  The play presents a fictionalized account of composer Antonio Salieri’s last day where he recounts his relationship with fellow composer Wolfgang Amadeus (some scholars argue he preferred to use Amadè) Mozart. Salieri, though a series of flashbacks takes the audience on a three hour journey through both men’s lives attempting to prove to the audience how he is the one responsible for Mozart’s death.  We see the pious Salieri makes a pledge to devote himself to God in exchange for a musical gift and fame.  He does indeed get a gift and some success; however he is ever aware of his mediocrity, especially in comparison with Mozart who lives the life of a libertine. 

 

Jim Petosa assembles an amazing cast for this large production. Benjamin Evett is wonderful in the role of Salieri, transforming from an old man to a man in his prime for us on stage.  This is a large role, but Evett is up for it and shows that even if the composer were mediocre, the actor portraying him certainly is not.  Salieri’s Venticelli (little winds, aka spies) played by Michael Kaye and Paula Langton are also great in this production, they remind me of Commedia dell’arte characters with their costumes and mannerisms and they add a bit of humor to the production.  Also adding humor without saying many words is Paul D. Farwell as Von Strack – normally mumbling on stage is not something to be desired, but it is perfect for the character and Farwell makes it almost into an art form.  Tim Spears performance as Amadeus was generally good, although at times it reminded me a little too much of the portrayal in the movie rather than his own portrayal.   

 

The technical pieces of the production all came together well including Cristina Todesco’s scenic design whose centerpiece help transform the space through slight changes.  Frances Nelson McSherry’s costume design was very fitting of the period.  Mary Ellen Stebbins took an interesting concept with the lighting design by having Salieri followed by a spotlight throughout most of the production, allowing the rest of the stage to be more dimly lit; this at times helped add to the sense that what we’re seeing isn’t necessarily reality, but what was seen through his memory. 

 

I’ve seen the movie several times and it was a delight to finally be able to see this piece in person.  The two are similar but vary slightly, in the play it feels that a lot more is simply narrated by Salieri, whereas in the movie even if he is narrating the action, it is a voiceover while you see the action take place.  On might say (to paraphrase a line in the play), it has too many words – at times it does go on and one wonders if the script could have been cut a little while maintaining the story, but overall it was a very enjoyable night of theatre.  If you like Mozart or if you’ve seen the movie, you should certainly make time to see this production of Amadeus.