Show: Amadeus
Society: Sedos
Venue: Bridewell Theatre
Credits: By Peter Shaffer
Type: Sardines
Author: Caroline Jenner
Performance Date: 23/11/2022
Amadeus
Caroline Jenner | 25 Nov 2022 03:24am
Image: David Ovenden
Sedos is one of those theatre companies that never seem to disappoint and their current production of Amadeus, running at The Bridewell Theatre, is no exception. Peter Shaffer once said he hoped that Amadeus would ‘enjoy a vigorous life in many differing productions’ and certainly Sedos once again show their skill in taking a well-loved play and presenting it in an innovative and entertaining fashion. The whispered ‘Salieris’ echo round the auditorium from the moment the audience enters and takes in a dimly lit stage, with four different levels, four randomly placed chairs and a piano. In Steven King’s impressive design the floor and walls are decorated with large sheets of what look like handwritten manuscript paper, overlapping and angled, instantly drawing us into the musical world of a Viennese court seething with scandal and intrigue. It has a simple elegance that leaves the stage uncluttered for the shenanigans of Mozart and Constanze.
Callum Anderson’s costumes help evoke a period, however as so often happens it is the shoes that catch the eye and stand out as being too modern, alongside the inconsistency in the length of some of the dresses, in an era when it was considered indecent for a woman to show her ankles. Having Mozart wearing more modern, slightly outre garments works well, reminding us that he is ahead of his time, however this does not work so well for his wife. It is also incongruous to see Katherina Cavalieri choosing to sit with her legs crossed – something else not acceptable in the late 1700s.
The two central roles provide wonderful opportunities for actors. Chris de Pury as Salieri draws in the audience, confides in us his belief that his fight is not only with the brash gifted boy who has arrived at court but with God himself: What use, after all, is man, if not to teach God His lessons. We see a clear contrast made between the smooth public figure, who Mozart considers his one friend, and the anguished private figure who confesses to the audience: the ghosts of the future. Hardly ever off the stage De Pury is a tour de force as he moves seamlessly between a brittle stooped old man and honoured court composer, offsetting dry sarcasm with moments of complete despair.
Alex Johnston as Mozart captures brilliantly the squeaky, petulant voice of a man who has been the feted darling of the European courts but has never really grown up. Peppered with scatology the crudity of his language shocks, whilst his bluntness cuts through the mannered affectation of the court, where he has now chosen to live and compose music. When he is told his quality work has too many notes… just cut a few, he is quick to puncture the ridiculousness of the remark with the retort: Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?. He moves from celebrity to destitution, desperate for his father’s approval and constantly dogged by poverty. Johnston effectively captures the eccentricity of the part, whilst showing the genuine belief that Mozart has in the integrity of his music.
The bawdy, capriciousness of Constanze is well portrayed by Jamila Jennings-Grant, moving from playful flirtatiousness to desperation as the need to support her family grows. The cast as a whole, sixteen strong, work together confidently to create a pacy, slick performance of what is an extremely long play. Some wonderful ensemble moments such as the masked ball and the cats chorus paint great stage tableaus.
The word Amadeus translates literally as love of God, something certainly not lost on Salieri, and it is salutary to remember that Shaffer’s play is perhaps the main reason Salieri has not been forgotten. Despite his teenage bargain with God it is not Salieri’s music that will be remembered into the future but that of the upstart Mozart, as Salieri says: We were both ordinary men, he and I. Yet from the ordinary he created legends–and I from legends created only the ordinary!
Directored by Matt Gould you have until December 3rd to catch this excellent production by the talented members of Sedos.