AMADEUS. Director: Geoffrey Hyland. Cast: Alan Committee, Aidan Scott, Lisa Tredoux, Mark Elderkin. At Theatre on the Bay, Cape Town.
BEVERLEY BROMMERT reviews
After more than four decades since its first staging, Peter Schaffer’s Amadeus continues to age with the grace to be expected of a timeless classic.
The reason is not hard to find. As it chronicles the history of two very different, yet paradoxically similar, 18th century composers, it probes such universal themes as aspiration, jealousy, passion, disappointment and divine injustice, to entertain as well as edify its audiences. The inclusion of exquisite music punctuating a wry, witty dialogue is an added enhancement.
Geoffrey Hyland’s production, while evoking the age of Mozart’s Vienna, is far from a period piece. The edgy elegance of costumes, stylised furniture, and visual hints at key issues in the play’s narrative (such as a messy profusion of music scores suggesting both the young composer’s phenomenally prolific output and his casual attitude towards a gift he simply takes for granted) – all tend to liberate the drama from too specific an era. As a result, it is lifted into the wider realm of universality.
Main protagonist is Salieri
The title Amadeus is misleading, as the narrator/main protagonist is not Mozart, but his rival and contemporary Salieri. Inevitably we identify with the latter, since very few can claim affinity with the eccentric prodigy who effortlessly eclipsed every composer of his time.
Salieri on the other hand, who sourly dubs himself “Patron Saint of Mediocrity”, epitomises an experience readily understood by anyone whose achievements have fallen short of the hopes and dreams driving them.
Successful or otherwise, both these composers are flawed. Salieri is pompous, mean-spirited, and – until the balloon of his complacency is deflated by the casual brilliance of Mozart – overly self-confident.
Mozart is potty-mouthed, puerile, vulgar and incorrigibly irresponsible. Neither is heroic, but both are deeply human; both are passionate and sensual, and in the end, both are victims of the art they serve, whether spontaneously or laboriously.
Covetable roles
These are covetable if daunting roles for lead actors, and Alan Committee’s Salieri is a brilliant foil for Aidan Scott’s Mozart. Neither upstages the other (in itself a notable achievement). From his opening monologue, Committee makes the audience his confidante, establishing a complicity essential to hold their attention. Scott embraces his persona with intelligence and intensity, immersing himself in the psychological complexities of an individual alternating disconcertingly between the ethereal and the gross.
Lisa Tredoux, as Mozart’s beloved, skilfully navigates the challenges of a tricky role calling for sustained credibility in various transitions from playful kitten to cynical, jaundiced spouse to compassionate helpmeet. She succeeds impressively.
Mark Elderkin leavens the darker elements in this engrossing drama with his habitual comic flair as the none-too-bright Austrian Emperor/ Patron of the Arts who predictably camouflages his cultural deficiencies with an insouciant catchphrase.
Strong ensemble from a small cast doubling roles is convincing as they recreate the atmosphere of scandal-mongering Vienna, constantly speculating whether or not Salieri murdered Mozart…
Opening night at Theatre on the Bay aggravated the inherent challenges of this masterpiece with a breakdown of the sound system so imperative in a play about music. Happily, with the professionalism of seasoned theatre makers, the hiatus was minimised and soon forgotten as the action seamlessly resumed.
A theatrical tour de force in every way.
What: Amadeus
Where and when: Theatre on the Bay from 12 April to 18 May 2024
Tickets: Webtickets
WS
