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.
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