Anyone who has felt diminished by a brilliant colleague or classmate can understand the torment of Antonio Salieri in “Amadeus.”
Salieri lives only to create music, which he dedicates to the service of the Almighty. After his youthful bargain with God, he takes pains to live a virtuous life in exchange (he hopes) for a touch of divine genius in his compositions.
But the dutiful Salieri is an earnest plodder. That potty-mouthed pipsqueak Mozart is the real genius, leading the scheming Salieri to a heel turn that would make wrestling and soap opera villains proud.
Skylight Music Theatre opened its new production of Peter Shaffer’s play with music Jan. 23. It’s the second time in Artistic Director Michael Unger’s tenure that he’s staged a play rather a musical, opera or revue. But the creative team of director Karen Estrada and music director Janna Vinson infuse this “Amadeus” with nearly constant music. Costumed and seated behind a keyboard, Vinson conducts the live quartet of violinist Pamela Simmons, violist Olga Tuzhilkov, cellist Braden Zitoun and flutist Scott Metlicka. When the bigger punch of Mozart’s orchestral music is needed, recorded sound is used.
A disclaimer: Don’t use “Amadeus” to write a term paper for your music history class. Shaffer, and later filmmaker Milos Forman, have created dramatic fiction, not a verifiable biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of Western music’s greatest composers, and his contemporary Salieri.
When Salieri (Matt Daniels), the court composer for Emperor Joseph II (Joe Picchetti), sees how brilliant the music of Mozart (Zach Thomas Woods) is, he feels betrayed by God and resolves to destroy his rival to revenge himself against the deity. Salieri’s cunning campaign is aided by Mozart’s self-defeating behavior around the courtiers and gatekeepers (Ben George, Joel Kopischke and Mohammad N. ElBsat) who could help him.
But God – who, by the way, never signed off on any quid pro quo with Salieri – is cunning, too, keeping Salieri off balance with successes that turn into defeats and vice versa.
It is fascinating to watch Daniels in this leading role about a powerful man’s inner torment just weeks after he finished playing Scrooge in Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s “A Christmas Carol.” In the latter, the Juilliard-trained actor shows a conversion in the heavenly direction; in “Amadeus,” the character arrow is reversed. “Amadeus” gives Daniels many chances to express a specific artistic anguish: even as he yearns to destroy Mozart, Salieri is the only living human in the world of the play who hears and appreciates how great Mozart’s music is.
Playing the character Shaffer has written, Woods’ Mozart comes across in some early scenes as a hyperactive ninny and a savant whose musical powers seem almost accidental. (We know better, of course.) But in an extraordinary speech, delivered by Woods with passion, Mozart captivates everyone by describing how God must hear music. Woods’ transformation into the ill, degraded Mozart at the end of his life is so stunning I was tempted to think a second person had stepped in.
Around three hours long, including intermission, “Amadeus” moves at a stately pace, befitting a costumed drama set in the 18th century. Skylight recommends it for people 13 years and older.
If you go
Skylight Music Theatre performs “Amadeus” through Feb 8 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. Visit skylightmusictheatre.org or call (414) 291-7800.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Skylight’s ‘Amadeus’ a tale of envy in world of music
Reporting by Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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