Amadeus

In the Opera House’s 50^th year, this production provides a tantalising glimpse into what might have been for Australia’s most famous building. The original plan was for the Opera Theatre to be in the larger space of what is now the Concert Hall.

So advanced were those plans, that the backstage structure was already built and had to be scrapped when then the ABC convinced the NSW Government to instead give classical musicians the dibs on the biggest section under sails.

Entering the newly refurbished Concert Hall, the audience is greeted by the grand sight of a supersized stage frame that has been built for this production only, and behind that a very deep and high stage with stairs and platforms that go on forever.

Amadeus was written as a stage play where normally the music interludes are taped – but in this presentation there is a 26-piece orchestra, up in upper reaches of the set, and real opera singers.

The only slightly disappointing aspect of this was that the live musicians were often part of the narrative in the background, with the actors providing commentary over the top of them – whereas it would have been preferable to enjoy their performances at the front.

Amadeus, which scooped the Tony Awards on Broadway and later the film adaptation, which won a swag of Academy Awards, is famously about the fictional account of the relationship between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his composing rival Antonio Salieri.

It is a vehicle to show the true aspects of Mozart’s life – a musical genius combined with a childlike sense of vulgarity and the fiction of Salieri’s confession that he killed his rival.

The central drama takes place on the front section of the stage which was set with the simplicity of a chair for Salieri and piano for Mozart.

The most delicious part of the play is when Mozart humiliates Salieri, by memorising a composition from the Italian musician and effortless improvising the piece to make it exponentially more interesting.

In the production Michael Sheen was commanding in the role of Salieri and got the audience through some inordinately long monologues where not much was happening on the stage.

Rahel Romahn was delicious as Mozart – prancing between vulgarity, genius, and angst. He formed a charismatic on-stage partnership with Lily Balatincz in the role of Mozart’s wife Constanze Weber.

Coming close to stealing the show was Toby Schmitz as Emperor Joseph II.  His portrayal of the musically clueless monarch was hilarious (for one performance in January, Schmitz is playing Salieri which will also be well worth seeing).

A standout feature were the divine costumes, of which the Emperor wears the most outrageous.  From the fashion house Romance Was Born, and designed by Anna Cordingley, they fuse an extraordinary array of colour and frills.

Amadeus was a triumph which earnt a well-deserved opening night standing ovation.

David Spicer

Photographer: Daniel Boud