BWW Review: Complexity and Extravagance in AMADEUS

Walking into the New Vic for an Ensemble performance always provides an exciting visual surprise. Ensemble's set designers (in the case of Amadeus, Fred Kinney, set design; Michael Klaers, lighting design) never fail to convert the theatrical space with compelling artistry and fastidious attention to detail-the atmosphere of the stage, and by extension the house, is always unique and impressive. For Ensemble's production of Amadeus, the New Vic was transformed in the fashion of eighteenth-century luxury: gilded filigree, chandeliers, and the high, arched ceilings of a Viennese ballroom. Scenes open in frozen tableaus of the royalty in their finery behind a decorated screen. From glittering coats and polished buckled shoes to extreme powdered wigs, Amadeus is a visual spectacle.

Peter Shaffer's Amadeus is a dramatized account of the rivalry between Antonio Salieri, court composer of Vienna, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, musical prodigy and social embarrassment. The alleged conflict between the men has been the source of much fictionalization, though the historical accuracy of Salieri's contention with Mozart is debatable. While Mozart (Randy Harrison) is the character around which the dramatic action revolves, the story is Salieri's. Shaffer presents Salieri as the unreliable narrator of his own story, a character who spends much of the first act describing his devotion to a pious lifestyle and his dedication to God while simultaneously embodying lust for fame, envy of Mozart's brilliance, and an unwavering sense of pride. Salieri is a complex character who begins the play by declaring that he murdered Mozart-and then allowing the audience the knowledge of the possible inaccuracy of his own confession. Salieri admits he may have (at least partially) concocted the story in the hopes of attaching his name to a composer who would never be forgotten. Indeed, while Mozart's work has maintained wide popularity, Salieri's compositions were mostly disregarded after his death until Shaffer's play revived interest in his work.

Director Jonathan Fox's rendition of Amadeus highlights the play's inherent comedic moments with stylized characterization of the extravagant Austrian aristocracy. Bo Foxworth showed the indulgent opulence of the era's European nobility with a hilarious portrayal of the gaudy, excitable Emperor of Austria. Randy Harrison (Mozart) gave an excellent performance as the young composer, simultaneously likeable and intensely obnoxious. Mozart is capricious, and showed rapid successions of emotions that were energetic, childlike, intense, insufferable, pure, and passionate. Mozart's reactions to his own compositions are some of the most multifaceted moments in the production. As Mozart and Salieri listen to the first performance of The Magic Flute, Mozart is both empowered and vulnerable as he basks in the gloriousness of his creation. This balance of strength and softness is a delicate juxtaposition against Salieri's quiet anguish, stemming from jealousy and appreciation of Mozart's exceeding genius. Based on the potency of these moments in which the composers experience their own and each other's music, it was surprising that their compositions were not more prominently featured.

Salieri (Daniel Gerroll), as both narrator and lead, is on stage for the majority of the production. The character's profuse, florid language and almost constant presence on stage makes the role of Salieri arduous and demanding. While Gerroll's performance was at times profound, too much of his dialogue was faltering, and moments of inelegant delivery were distracting. To be fair, opening night shows are often marred by vexing, unforeseeable problems easily remedied for subsequent performances-in this case, there was some clumsy maneuvering around set pieces, assorted cases of actors not finding their light, and a handkerchief that would not stay in a coat pocket. These are all miniscule concerns that are simply the reality of a live production; however, the show's fundamental unevenness should be smoothed once Gerroll gains more ease in his role.

Amadeus is a complex, considerable theatrical undertaking. With intricate layers of unreliable storytelling by a narrator obsessed with his own enduring fame, Amadeus presents a manipulative man desperate for recognition, even at the cost of the truth. The play is well written, though Gerroll's vacillating adeptness with the dialogue slowed the dramatic action. Despite this flaw, Amadeus is a provocative retelling of a history that never occurred. Lavish and delightfully flamboyant in design, Ensemble's production only lacks the full theatricality of Salieri's journey through sin that can be achieved with Gerroll's full proficiency with the character. With a few more performances, my hope is that Gerroll will develop a finer sense of comfort in the role so Salieri's complexities will be as fully realized as Fox's otherwise vibrant sensory presentation of eighteenth-century Vienna.

Amadeus by Peter Shaffer
Directed by Jonathan Fox
Ensemble Theatre Company
Runs through October 26th