About the Play:
Amadeus was one of Royal
National Theatre of Britain's top 100 plays of the 20th century.
Amadeus has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Male Monologues and Female/Male Scenes.
Amadeus is a full-length drama by Peter Shaffer.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives determined to
make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio
Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy it. Seized by
obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music and,
ultimately, with God.
Amadeus is about he life and times of the unkempt musical
genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as seen through the eyes of his
fastidious rival, devout court composer Antonio Salieri. In the court
of the Austrian Emperor Josef, Antonio Salieri is the established
composer. Enter the greatest musical genius of all time: Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart. Mozart is a foul-mouthed, graceless oaf who has that
which is beyond Salieri's envious grasp: Genius. Salieri has given
himself to God so that he might realize his sole ambition to be a
great composer. But he comes to grips with the fact that while he
himself is very talented, Mozart derives a true genius directly from
God. With that realization, Salieri sets out to get his revenge on
God by destroying Mozart. How far will Salieri go to achieve the fame
that Mozart disregards? Peter Shaffer's iconic play weaves a
confrontation between mediocrity and genius into a tale of
breathtaking dramatic power.
Amadeus premiered 1979 at the Royal National Theatre in London and won both the Evening Standard Drama Award and the
Theatre Critics Award. It opened on Broadway in 1980 at the Broadhurst Theatre and won the
coveted Tony Award. It went on to become a critically acclaimed major
motion picture winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture. The play has become a
favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and is
regularly performed in regional, high school, college, and
community theatre productions.
Cast: 3 female, 12 male, extras
What people say:
"A total iridescent triumph
... of complexity of thought, emotion and dramatic power." —
New York Post
"Mozart blazes." —
New York Times
"Amadeus is a rich theatrical
experience you are not likely to repeat for many a year." —
Washington Post
"Inspired." —
Toronto Star
"Back in town and very
welcome...highly theatrical it contains technical skill with a
genuine sense of rage." — Guardian (London)
About the Author:
Sir Peter Levin
Shaffer, CBE (1926-2016) was an English playwright and
screenwriter. He is familiar to North American audiences as the author
of Amadeus and Equus, two of the most successful plays
of the postwar era, and of a string of other award-winning plays,
several of which have been turned into films.