New York City Broadway Theater Guide

Amadeus

Broadway Drama

Previews December 7 1999
Opened December 15 1999
Closed May 14 2000

Run 10 previews | 173 performances

Running Time 2 hrs 45 mins | 1 intermission

Tickets $55 to $70

Prices do not include any taxes, service charges or other charges

Creative Peter Shaffer author | Sir Peter Hall director

Cast David Suchet | Michael Sheen | Cindy Katz | Michael Keenan | J P Linton | David McCallum | Terence Rigby | Jeffrey Bean | Glynis Bell | Geoffrey Blaisdell | Jake Broder | Charles Janasz | Robert Machray | Dan Mason | Kate Miller | Kevin Orton | John Rainer | William Ryall | Rocco Sisto | John Towey

Synopsis  Amadeus is the story of one man's realization that another's overpowering genius leaves little room in the realizer's chosen field. This revival of the 1980 Broadway production stars David Suchet as Antonio Salieri, composer to the Viennese court. Salieri sees in a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the stuff of which he is not made, a gift of pure musical understanding. The evening unfolds as a confession of Salieri's machinations to keep the young Mozart down

Peter Shaffer has re-written his original Salieri, thought by the first audiences to be directly responsible for Mozart's death, to be more compassionate. Not a purely evil person, but one fighting for his professional life. Mr Suchet sublimely evokes the tugs of his conscience against his words and actions. This is a thoughtful, almost quiet performance, one that endures alongside Ian McKeelan's original, though as then written, quite different interpretation

Starring against Mr Suchet's Salieri is Michael Sheen's dervish of a Mozart. (Imagine a caffeinated Robin Williams on one of the late night shows.) As directed by Sir Peter Hall, the young Mozart was basically a brat, one that many in the audience would like to see knocked down a few pegs. It's due to Mr Sheen's considerable talent and Sir Peter's exquisite direction that in this new Amadeus we are still able to feel sadness upon the genius's death. We just don't feel the same anger against poor Salieri, who whipped himself enough

Bottom Line Powerful performances in a writer's stunningly subtle reinterpretations of his original characters. Also, David McCallum, who doesn't get to Broadway often enough

Notes The original production of Amadeus opened December 17, 1980, at the Broadhurst Theater