Rock Me, Amadeus

Amadeus

Written by Peter Shaffer

Directed by Nicholas Weir

At Kirkland tonight and tomorrow

A NIGHT with Amadeus is a night full of ironies, both painful and delicious. First of all, at centerstage, stands Mozart (Andrew Sullivan), "conceited, sniggering, infantine Mozart," who has been blessed with God's gift of musical genius, while Salieri (Jonathan Tolins), a man dedicated to doing the good of God, is doomed to the ranks of musical obscurity.

Just as ironic, but more pleasantly so, is that Salieri, that "Patron Saint of Mediocrities," has inspired such an ingenious and engrossing play. The final gem of irony, however, is merely a result of expert casting: Tolins, a sublime Salieri indeed, receives the standing ovation Salieri never deserved.

Amadeus may seem an unlikely choice for a junior common room production. Not only does it require 18th century style set-design and costumes, careful musical synchronization, and nearly 30 scene changes--there is also a film version fresh in everyone's minds; unfair comparisons would be very easy to make. But director Nicholas Weir silences the doubters with a powerful show, one that highlights all of playwright Shaffer's wickedly good language.

WEIR IS IMMEASURABLY aided in his ambitious task by a strong company. Everyone, from Salieri's Venticelli to the Viennese philistines, keeps the action lively. Two of the players, however, stand out from the rest.

Onstage at almost all times, Tolins wonderfully captures the many sides of Salieri and provides the production with a commanding central presence. Tolins shifts easily between narrating and taking part in the action, and thus keeps the show running smoothly. Better as the young man than the old, he nevertheless sustains subtle and shrewd acting throughout.

Andrew Sullivan must, of course, be somewhat less subtle with his giggling, philandering Mozart. In delightfully gaudy tailcoats, he plays the naughty, fidgety musical genius with a great spark of liveliness. His best moments are those showing the childlike glee of Mozart the composer, along with an endearing (and indeed pathetic) obliviousness to the envy and vengeance he arouses in Salieri. And, except for one awkward entrance, Sullivan modulates Mozart's downfall with fine control.

A host of other solid performances surround these two central ones. Heather Gunn, as Constance, (or, as husband Wolfgang would have it, "Stanzel Wanzel") keeps up with Sullivan's playfulness and establishes an engaging presence of her own. Zak Klobucher, as the rather dim-witted Emperor Joseph, is suitably laughable; he delivers each and every line with sharply-pointed wit. The Venticelli (Dan Cloherty and Steve Lyne), with their expertly-timed dialogue, also deserve special mention.

Director Weir has done a fine job of dealing with the multiple demands of the play. With great wisdom, he has been extremely faithful to both the words and the ingenious stage directions of Shaffer's script. Furthermore, the costumes and set-design are convincing and even the taped musical excerpts are only slightly disorienting. All in all, a night with Amadeus is a night full of delights, ironic and otherwise.