Amadeus follows the story of Antonio Salieri, the court composer in Vienna, as he navigates his rivalry with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I really enjoyed SUTCO’s performance of this play which mixed comedy with tragedy and love with loathing.
The standard of acting in Amadeus was high throughout the performance. I particularly enjoyed Andrew Hurrell’s performance as Old Salieri and Luke Hookham’s performance as Young Salieri. These two actors worked together really well and Old Salieri’s almost constant presence on stage brought a sense of foreboding to the play’s action. Other standout performances for me were Caitlin Wood and Wrenna Clarke as Salieri’s valet and cook. I loved the almost cheeky and mischievous roles that they played, and I thought that they helped to bring the play’s comedic sections out in full force.
During the first half of the performance, the pacing of the action was really good, and I was constantly engaged by what was happening on stage. However, for me, the second half dragged a bit. Whilst the standard of acting was still really high, it became harder to follow some of the longer speeches towards the end. Nevertheless, right at the end of the second half, I thought the use of the whole cast as a sort of chorus was really effective for adding a sense of mystery to the performance. The use of lighting throughout the play was also really well done. Although it was generally relatively simple, it was effective in setting the mood for each scene, and some of the lighting design towards the end of the second half was incredible.
Obviously, as Amadeus is a story about the relationship between two composers, music plays a key role in the play. SUTCO had a live orchestra for this performance, and I thought that they did a really good job of playing Mozart’s music, which is notoriously difficult due to its ornamentation and the need for clean precision. I particularly enjoyed hearing the excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. The orchestra were sitting at the back of the stage and were revealed whenever they were playing. I really liked this as, by not keeping the musicians hidden, SUTCO really highlighted the primacy of music to the story.
Overall, I thought that SUTCO performed Amadeus to a high standard and were very successful in their storytelling. I’d really recommend going to see it if you get a chance: you don’t need to be an aficionado of classical music in order to enjoy the play! SUTCO’s Amadeus continues at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio tonight and tomorrow. Get your ticket whilst you still can!
Amadeus is running from 23-25 April at the Drama Studio – Amadeus – Performance Venues
★ ★ ★ ★
