Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, New Vic Theatre till 29th May

Newcastle-under-Lyme

AMADEUS
by Peter Shaffer
New Vic Theatre To 29 May 2004
Box Office: 01782 717962:
Runs: 3 hr One interval
Review: Jan Pick 27 May

Musical memories haunt the stage A swirl of whispering dark shadows sweeps in from various points in the auditorium and down the aisles to the stage of the New Vic theatre. Murmuring scandal, rumour and gossip give way to an old man with a story to tell in this excellent revival of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus.

The audience have their role to play as a ghostly presence in Salieri's imagination, required to act as witnesses to his confession' of jealousy and despair over the musical genius of Mozart, and charged with ensuring his place in posterity through the notoriety of his claim to have poisoned his rival.

Conrad Nelson skilfully draws us into Salieri's predicament - the only man truly able to recognise the sublime nature of Mozart's composition, yet driven to destroy him and to try to prevent that music being heard. He is the old man telling the tale, flinging his frustration, grief and guilt into the future.

Nick Haverson plays an unattractive, egotistical Mozart, yet manages to make him curiously attractive in his exuberant childishness, his naivety and his uncomplicated affection for Salieri and Constanze - a nicely judged performance from Louisa McCarthy as Mozart's innocently childish but rather vulgar wife.

And among the generally excellent company, Gemma Page as Katharina, Salieri's star pupil and mistress, and Christopher Wright as the musically conservative Emperor Joseph II, deserve particular mention.

The drama is punctuated throughout with snatches of opera and glimpses of the music that poured from Mozart, expertly arranged, played and sung. The use of subtle changes in lighting moves the scenes and moods from the shadows of the streets to the delicate golden glow of the salon, and the grim misery of Mozart's poverty-stricken end as he struggled to complete his Requiem.

Was Salieri in some way responsible for Mozart's death? As the ghostly presence of the audience leaves the theatre the question at the heart of the play remains. It is for the future to decide Salieri's innocence or guilt and to allocate him his place in history.

Count Von Strack: Lennox Graves
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Nick Haverson
Baron Van Swieten: Andy Hockley
Constanze Weber: Louisa McCarthy
Count Orsini-Rosenberg: Alan McMahon
Antonio Salieri: Conrad Nelson
Venticello 1: Christian Newton
Katharina Cavalieri: Gemma Page
Venticello 2: Dylan Williams
Emperor Joseph II: Christopher Wright

Featuring The Phoenix Singers

Director: Chris Monks
Designer: Lis Evans
Lighting: Daniella Beattie
Sound: James Earls-Davis
Musical Director: Ashley Thompson
Choreographer: Beverley Edmunds

2004-05-30 20:59:15