‘Amadeus’ – Written by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Tony Estrella. Music Direction and Composition by Judith Lynn Stillman. Set Design by Jessica Hill Kidd. Costume Design by Mikayla Reid. Lighting Design by Steve McLellan. Sound Design by Peter Sasha Horowitz. Presented by The Gamm Theatre, Warwick, Rhode Island, through December 7th.
By Linda Chin
With the power of music to soothe one’s soul and heal, create, and unite communities, seeing The Gamm Theatre’s production of Amadeus may be the perfect panacea for daylight savings – and/or post-election – blues. Set in 1781-1791 & 1823 Vienna, Amadeus tells the fictionalized story of a rival relationship between two 18th-century composers, the Salzburg-born young prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the more senior but lesser-known Italian composer Antonio Salieri.
Although Salieri held a prominent position as Emperor Joseph II’s court composer, was proficient in three languages, a sought-after teacher (besides Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, and Schubert were among his students) and dominated Italian-language opera in Vienna’s classical period, his repertoire was rarely heard until the late 20th century. The revival of his name recognition can be attributed in part to Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus, which opened on the West End in 1979, and gave life to the rumor that Mozart died (at age 35) because Salieri became obsessed with his genius and poisoned him. American actor F. Murray Abraham’s brilliant portrayal of Salieri in the film version (1984, the year The Gamm was founded!) also fueled the composer’s (and his own) prominence.
The company delivers pitch-perfect performances, with Steven Kidd (Harry in Hangmen, Stan in Sweat) portraying Salieri – loyal and pious, steady and satisfied with his station as a composer in the Court of Emperor Joseph II, but who becomes salacious, ambitious, and envious of Mozart’s genius. Onstage for most of the production, Kidd demonstrates remarkable stamina and stage presence, and his performance is a master class in acting. Michael Liebhauser (Sebastian in Twelfth Night, Isaac in Describe the Night) returns to The Gamm to portray the boorish but brilliant, irreverent, and now iconic Mozart. Boston audiences who saw The Play That Goes Wrong at Lyric Stage will certainly remember his terrific comedic timing as the inspector.
Other actors of note include Alison Russo, who lights up the stage as Mozart’s fiancé and wife Constanze, and Casey Seymour Kim, who portrays the dithering Emperor Joseph II with a wonderful balance of whimsy, majesty, and elocution. The Emperor’s words to Mozart: “My dear young man, don’t take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It’s quality work. There are simply too many notes, that’s all.”
The mixture of mayhem, (maybe) murder, and music makes for a theatrical experience that is both entertaining and educational. Music director Judith Lynn Stillman deserves credit for arranging and performing a string of musical pearls in this production, including excerpts from the works of Mozart, Salieri, JS Bach, Beethoven, Bonno, Haydn, Handel, Rossini, and other composers in the 18th and 19th-century classical music canon.
The audience’s full engagement throughout the play’s running time of nearly three hours is a testament to Shaffer’s skillful blending of fact and fiction and Gamm Artistic Director Tony Estrella’s superb staging and direction. For an ingenious, high-quality production of Amadeus that has all the right notes, head to The Gamm. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.gammtheatre.org/
