Theater Review: Amadeus (No Not the Movie)
Amadoofus
After watching Hamilton on Disney+, there was a very specific void left in my soul that only Bridgerton could fill, but even that can only take one so far. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon a showing of Amadeus at my local theater, a story about a bitter rivalry between composers Wolfgang Mozart and Antonio Celery. Like, that’s literally just Hamilton and Burr! Set in the same time period!! I can’t believe someone decided to do a spin-off of Hamilton like this. I showed up to the theater brimming with anticipation, waiting to be overcome by hip-hop and harpsichords, or at least the thing they did in Bridgerton.
…But as the lights dimmed and the actors took the stage, something was wrong. Nobody was rapping, not even once. No fun music at all. With every scene, I waited, and yet in its whole two and a half hour runtime, nothing ever came.
Yeah, turns out it wasn’t even a musical, and the play came out 36 years PH (pre-Hamilton). Leaving the theater, heartbroken, my disappointment was immeasurable, and my day was ruined. Why have a play about COMPOSERS without music in it??
(This is a joke. Please don’t kill me.)
Before Going In
The true story is nothing like that, don’t worry. Ironically my first exposure to Amadeus was Amadeus, the song by Falco. I was bingeing Todd in the Shadows’ One Hit Wonderland series where he breaks down prominent one-hit wonders. For the record, this series is from a US POV. Many one-hit-wonders stateside had esteemed careers in their home countries, and Falco was one of them.
That always stuck out to me for whatever reason out of the hundred plus videos Todd had. Shortly after while scouring local theaters near me, lo and behold, there was a play called Amadeus coming up.
Now, this is a bit of a complicated origin story, but the song Amadeus was inspired by a movie of the same name, which was, in turn, inspired by the play, so Play → Movie → Song. And like, I had no idea of Amadeus’ existence in spite of the play, movie, and song all being hits back then. Crazy how culture works.
I was initially confused as to why the name of the play was Amadeus and not, ya know, MOZART? Or Wolfgang? Tf did Amadeus come from?
Well, Mozart here had, like, a billion names. His full name was “Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart”. Now, Theophilus means “Lover of God” in Greek, and translated directly to Latin, it became “Amadeus.” Apparently it was trendy to adapt your name depending on the context and language. Let me hit you with a common example. You know Christopher Columbus? Of course you do, but it wasn’t like this famously Italian man was born with the name “Christopher.” His name, his real name, was Cristoforo Colombo. Same principle with Mozart.
Ofc people would have their preferences when they personally adapted their names, and Mozart seemed to prefer “Wolfgang Amadé Mozart” above all.
So where did “Amadeus” come from? From all that I’ve found, the answer was just that it sounded cool, so after his death, that came to dominate as the name we refer to him by.
Okay, so now we know that, why is the play itself called Amadeus if that was Mozart’s middle name? Well, it’s probably the dual meaning behind it. Amadeus means “Lover of God,” right? It both refers to Mozart’s name AND a certain character’s utmost devotion to God for much of his life. More on said character later.
I went in blind, but based on limited information, I figured it focused on Antonio Salieri, a contemporary of Mozart who worked his butt off to get to where he was, coping and seething as Mozart parties and sleeps around and yet still somehow effortlessly makes the most wonderful music Salieri ever bore witness to.
And yeah, I was pretty much spot on.
Thoughts From the Other Side
A bit of a more detailed overview of the story: it opens on an elderly Salieri, on the brink of death, reminiscing on Mozart and the profoundly negative effect he had on his life.
By his account, as a child he asked God to be famous and musically gifted, and that was a wish that was granted… Or so he thought. Salieri became a court musician under the Austrian Emperor (Marie Antoinette’s brother), and saw that as his reward for following God’s teachings.
And then, who careens into his life but a 25 year old, horned-up Wolfgang Mozart making poop jokes? And in spite of all that, when it came time for him to play, out came the most beautiful music, in stark contrast to the man himself.
Salieri knew Mozart was super talented, sure, but he figured the music he heard that time was just a fluke… Then he obtains some of Mozart’s manuscripts, and in them he finds undeniable proof of his genius and breaks down. Of all people, why Mozart?? What did this “vile creature” do to obtain such a divine gift?
And that was the moment Walter White became Heisenberg.
Salieri then rejects God, and does everything in his power to subtly dismantle Mozart’s life until the prodigy dies ill and in squalor.
Flash forward to “present day” when Salieri’s about to die. He's old, and while he had a good run with much success, he has since become a footnote. His music was phased out as musical trends shifted, while Mozart's continues to be played posthumously. He sees where things are going and can't stand it. In a last-ditch effort to go down in history off Mozart’s name, Salieri spreads false rumors that he murdered Mozart and subsequently attempts to kill himself at dawn.
The attempt fails and he doesn’t die immediately, and as the life trickles out of him at a torturously slow pace, he must hear that his desperate bid for fame came to nothing. Nobody believes him and considers him a loon and a hack, and therefore, the last of Salieri’s time on earth is spent confronted by the reality of his irrelevance.
The Viewing Experience
The theater I was in was very small, I think it seated a max of 70 people? (Edit: it was 66) I was sad to see the front row was sold out when I was buying the seats, but honestly I’m glad I had the back row because even THAT was ridiculously close to the stage. Like I’d be so worried that I’d accidentally trip the actors because your feet were basically on the stage up front. Also could you even see anything when you’re practically right there in the action?
It was my first time in such an intimate venue, and it was really cool how the audience kinda fades into the background in spite of them being RIGHT THERE. You just kinda get tunnel vision as you’re sucked into the narrative.
I had such a stupid-ass smile on my face the whole time, which I was self conscious of because, like, it didn’t go away when Mozart was dying and writhing around in pain. Unlike bigger theaters where the actors wouldn’t be able to see me, there was no hiding as I was seated very prominently lmao. I was just so happy to be there and bear witness to it all.
What I appreciated about the play is that we all had those moments when we want so badly to be good at something, the best even. And there’s always that person who runs circles around you like it’s no big deal. Especially now in the social media age, you’re basically perpetually reminded that you’re not the best, you’re not as good as someone else, and maybe you’ll never get to their level no matter how hard you try.
For that same reason, at the beginning of the play you (or I at least) start out hating Mozart, but as his life takes a downward spiral, you can’t help but feel guilty for ever wanting him to be taken down in the first place. He never asked for this talent, and his radical thinking for the time made him a social pariah. He could never be able to fit into high society because of his unique way of seeing the world, even if he tried, so instead, he tried to make something for the people, and none of his fellow composers understood the value in doing that.
But then you totally understand Salieri, a man who while deeply flawed, was fiercely devoted to his art. Meanwhile, Mozart was making top-tier compositions between games of billiards. How come you could spend so much time playing the social game to live your art, yet get absolutely steamrolled by someone playing by their own rules? It’s real hard to stomach. Honestly it didn’t matter if Mozart went down in history or not, because Salieri had to live the rest of his life knowing that for all his fame and fortune, when it came to the art itself—not the pageantry, not the politics—he was outmatched.
From this crude gremlin of a man came the most amazing music, and I can only imagine Salieri’s inner turmoil as he gapes in awe at Mozart’s music yet longs for the death of its author, both in a literal and metaphorical sense.
Near the end you come to feel all those emotions simultaneously: the hate, the sadness, the admiration. They clash yet oddly coexist, a real yin and yang situation where they oppose yet complement one another.
All in all, it was a great time. I always have a soft spot for stories of people feuding and yet have this appreciation for one another beneath all that, and that DID hit the spot.
The only thing I didn’t like was Mozart’s poop and butt humor, like it was really bad. Literal shit-tier. However from what I understand, that was all stuff that would’ve made Mozart laugh his ass off watching. I can say that because if you saw what he wrote in his letters, you’d realize that what’s in the play wasn’t as fantastical as you’d think. (Also apparently that type of humor was in vogue amongst Germans, so it wasn’t like he was uniquely crude, just maybe more gung-ho about it.) Luckily it was only shown as humor shared by him and his wife, rather than the show itself. All the play did was represent it as it was, and no matter what, it’s gonna be cringe. I don’t want to imagine what people 200 years into the future would think about my taste in memes, hell, people judge me now because the memes I like are OLD.
The actors did a wonderful job, and Salieri’s actor’s dialogue made up basically 85% of what was spoken. I’m amazed that he can just, like, memorize almost three hours of dramatic monologuing. A non-insignificant portion of the play’s dialogue was also in Italian/German/French as well. The actor was Italian himself so he handled the Italian like a champ, but with two other languages for him to speak, I do not blame him at all if he wasn’t perfect with the other ones.
For all the actors, I could feel them struggling a bit, but it’s three effin’ languages. I don’t blame them in the least for not giving flawless pronunciation.
Mozart’s actor was amazing too, and his part required a lot of physicality and pratfalls that I’m surprised he could pull off without hurting himself. It wasn’t until I saw a trailer for the movie when I got home that I realized he was a dead ringer for Mozart in the film, probably why he was casted in the first place. It’s so weird because the movie is old, right, and here’s this guy who looks exactly like him that I just saw in person. Anyway, I’m sure his performance was heavily based on that film, but luckily, the trademark annoying laugh was mercifully left out.
Someone else with a lot of screen (stage?) time was Mozart’s wife, Constanze. Being this manchild’s spouse, her character goes through a whole slew of emotions being by his side, and her actress NAILED it. Things get dark for her, and it was all portrayed beautifully. No notes, and I couldn’t peel my eyes away when she showed up.
The last characters of note were these Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum-looking mfs, dubbed Salieri’s “Little Winds,” who basically echoed the town gossip or explained certain things to the audience. I believe that’s following in the tradition of the Greek Chorus which often handled narration and set the atmosphere. They were comic relief characters who also heavily relied on physicality, and that really did a lot to set that classically quirky atmosphere.
Oh yeah, there was also this weird thing the show did where people often wore Venetian masks. Venetian masks are kinda creepy to me so it kinda put me off at first, but over time I thought it was cool to set the mood.
Usually it was the people who didn’t speak who’d wear them. Unmasked characters who did have speaking roles would often slip the masks on when they were to fade into the background. Honestly when in mask-mode the actors were more props than people, often standing statue-still and only moving or animating when the scene demanded, and honestly it’s such a vibe. The Little Winds always had the masks, I suppose because they’re not meant to be characters, but rather the embodiment of something else.
Anyway, this was such a sleeper hit for me. I had only seen musicals, never a play, so I was a bit worried I wouldn’t like it… But I totally did. Once again, I love people feuding, and who doesn’t like political intrigue? Once again, it hits that emotional core of “Why not me?” Something that has and always will be part of the human condition. Probably why it was a hit when it came out.
Now irl there’s no documentation of such close contact existing between Salieri and Mozart as in the play, but it’s theater tradition to turn a delicious little nugget of storytelling potential into grand spectacle.
A HUGE thanks to the amazing actors and the crew who brought this to life. My brother had attended the play with me and he didn’t get why I was clapping so hard at the wall, but it was for the stage crew out back lol.
Amadeus, you certainly rocked me, no music required.
Additional Notes
What the play DID get right were the conditions of Salieri’s death. He was demented and made an attempt at his own life that failed. In the play he’s actually sane, but so haunted by his past that people thought him crazy anyway.
I’m reading Salieri’s Wikipedia right now and Mozart is mentioned so much lmaoo. Shortly after Salieri’s death, there was a play written called Mozart and Salieri done as “a dramatic study of the sin of envy”, which would ultimately inspire Peter Shaffer to create Amadeus.
My guy couldn’t catch a break!
The vibe I’m getting from their interactions irl is that there seemed to be some cultural and creative clashes. Mozart and his father believed Salieri was pulling strings to block him from getting commissions and teaching opportunities, something that was treated as reality by the play.
In spite of their differences, there’s an air that they ultimately respected one another. After Mozart’s death, Salieri would actually come to mentor Mozart’s son. I don’t think you’d mentor a man’s son if you secretly hated him.
It’s just that you’re not going to love all the people in your social circles all the time, there will always be the occasional surges of friction, and that’s what’s so enthralling about the idea of them butting heads. Everyone knows that the reality is different (I hope), but thinking about a bitter rivalry between them is too good to pass up.
The play was historical fanfic and I’m here for it.
Final Rating
I don’t feel comfortable rating a theater show, because it’ll vary a lot between productions, unlike a movie when it’s the same experience each time. However, it was really good and I recommend it. Don’t sleep on your local community theater, people!!