Concluding this sensational programme of theatre shows, brought to us by “NT Live at Home”, was Peter Shaffer’s play, “Amadeus”. Whether you go to the National Theatre, your nearest regional theatre, or local amateur theatre, consider giving a donation. Despite, the recent and welcoming news on Government funding and Covid-19 work place guidance, the arts industry isn’t completely out of the woods yet. Every little helps.
I first watched “Amadeus” as part of the original NT Live at my nearest cinema so tonight’s viewing was a different experience. Nothing beats going to see live theatre, but NT Live is the next best thing. Especially with the camera work picking up on the small set details or the subtle facial expressions of the actors.
It was 1781, the age of Enlightenment in the music capital of the world, Vienna. Lucian Msamati (star of “Luther”, “Game Of Thrones”, and “His Dark Materials”) played Herr Antonio Salieri, who was appointed the prestigious role of Court Composer for Emperor Joseph II (Tom Edden). According to Salieri, everything was just fine until the extraordinarily talented child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Adam Gillen) came waltzing in. In reality, it would seem Salieri was always capable of destroying his own life and the life of others, it just needed someone to play the right notes to make discordant and nightmarish music.
Everyone was talking about Mozart, who had arrived in Vienna determined to modify the music trend. He gazed at the awe-inspiring and opulent Palace. Overwhelmed and spellbound by Mozart’s God-given talent, Salieri possessed the power to endorse his music; using his privileged platform to share his compositions with the rest of the world, or sabotage his name and reputation. Salieri’s envy transformed into jealousy which mutated into obsession. Green-eyed because of Mozart’s melodic creativity but also furious with God thinking: why has God chosen to bestow Mozart with his musical gift and not me?
The large company of performers was comprised of actors, singers, and musicians. The Southbank Sinfonia thirty piece orchestra did a terrific job performing the playful and rousing music of the two composers. It made the play have all the drama of an opera. The minor re-arrangement of a handful of Mozart’s symphonies fuelled the plot tension in certain scenes without spoiling the sound of the original masterpieces. Chloe Lamford’s design resulted in the actors wearing typical costumes of the period. Late 18th Century fashion in Western culture reportedly became simpler and less elaborate. Changes in trends were a result of evolving modern ideals of individuality. Highly elaborate Rococo styles were on their way out, and there was an emphasis placed on the rationalistic principles of Enlightenment Philosophes. At the same time, the musicians wore black costume so the audience could tell them apart from the actors. Everyone played their part though when performing the atmospheric unison movement sequences.
Gillen gave an athletic and virtuosic performance as the eccentric genius, Mozart. I wouldn’t have imagined Mozart to have been immature, bouncy, and childish in temperament. As a child prodigy though, we can come to the conclusion he never had chance to fully grow up and his fastidiousness was a result of intense hours of piano and composition practice. No wonder he had no awareness of social rules, etiquette, and Royal protocol. An absorbing and rounded performance of a fascinating character. Sharing the stage was Msamati as the zealous but sinister, Salieri. So much passion exhibited from him but it never tip-toed into being melodramatic. Msamati skilfully made me feel conflicted about the character. Occasionally, I felt empathy for Salieri, at other times I felt nothing for him and his selfish actions. Salieri displayed signs of narcissistic personality disorder and was certainly manipulative enough to fool me into thinking he was upset, but he would quickly switch his mood to unmask his true colours. The memorable moment of tearing up of the manuscript was spine chilling. On the other side of the coin, his very few positive traits were explored such as his loyalty and dedication to his role as Court Composer as well as his young musician mentoring scheme.
Director, Michael Longhurst could have treated this production like a piece of music. It certainly seemed like this was the approach. Metaphorically speaking, there was variation in pace, dynamics, and tone for different scenes: allegro to andante, forte to pianissimo, and major to minor. Most characters had their own idiosyncratic recurring motif for example, Mozart blowing raspberries or Salieri making the sign of the cross. Shaffer’s play is an expressive musical score: stable in tonality for one scene but unsettling like a sequence of chromatic notes for another section.
The late and great, Peter Shaffer, has written a play not just about music but about our wicked and poisonous human nature. It took Salieri the whole length of time in the story to be awakened to his own enlightenment that comparing himself to Mozart was the root of his depression and unhappiness. An effortful waste of time to preserve his ego, fame, and legacy. On a lighter note, Shaffer’s writing spoke so poetically and beautifully about music. I liked the debates about what is real music and who is it really for? There was an aesthetic appreciation for music as an art form. Bravissimo.
Reviewer - Sam Lowe
on - 19/7/20
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