Amadeus

Tickenham Drama Group

AMADEUS  by Peter Shaffer

As seen by Matthew Heaton (NODA South-west Regional Councillor) for Mike Purnell (NODA SW District 9) on Wednesday 19th November 2025

Director:                                Felicity Peries

The Village Hall, Tickenham

Amadeus is a play written and first performed in 1979 by Peter Shaffer which gives a fictional account of the lives of composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri (though how much is fiction and how much has some fact is a matter of conjecture). The play is effectively narrated by Salieri to the audience through a series of flashbacks from his surprising opening statement that it was he who plotted and implemented the early death of Mozart, not out of jealousy of his ability but out of vengeance against God for torturing him for being the only one able to see such genius and not able to match it. The play makes significant use of the music of Mozart, Salieri and other composers of the period. The premieres of Mozart's operas The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute are the settings for key scenes. Peter Shaffer rewrote the play for the screen in the 1984 Oscar-winning film of the same name.

This was my first time to see Tickenham Drama Group and great use was made of the traditional village hall staging and space. The raised seating allowed the Tech team a clear view of the stage well as the audience situated towards the rear. The staged area worked well for the production. The area Stage Right worked well as the Seating area for Salieri. The rear curtained section allowed swift changes of scenes to be readied beforehand, such as the Royal Court. Use of the cast to set the scenes worked well – allowing smooth transitions as a result and keeping the pace up throughout what is a long show. The playing area was maximised through the effective use of the steps and floor area. Bringing the cast through the audience at the start was very effective too. The small stage area was well-dressed, with a very effectively painted set. Properties included and used were very good. Overall, some good quality and well thought-out staging.

The lighting design obviously had some limitations from the venue, but was lit with the style and variety of a much larger venue. There was a good level of coverage and a good use of colour, with some very effective blue and red washes. This was integrated with the set design really well and the mood and tone of the production. Spots were well-used to make the most of the emotion in the piece. Very well done

The sound was very good too on the whole. Voices could all be heard, I believe without amplification. Supporting music was cued in as well and occasionally faded out a little abruptly but the volume control did not overpower any dialogue. There was the one unfortunate moment of PA distortion at a key moment, which to your credit was addressed quickly, Really well done here also.

This is a difficult show to costume due to the 18th Century Austrian court setting and the 45 year time period of the production, but overall the costumes were excellent. The costumes themselves used were to a good standard and the colour schemes and combinations worked well.  In particular, what a range of quality costumes Mozart had in-particular. Wigs, an essential requirement for this show (particularly for the men) were generally very good. Make-up was generally applied well and was of the period, particularly in terms of powdered layers. Very nicely done.

The directing of the production was very strong. Even with such a talented cast, the hand of the director was clear to see, from the careful control of entrances and exits (to maintain a flow and a pace to a long production) right through to the characterisations and interactions built to bring the performance to life. Dialogue was pretty much faultless in terms of accuracy and pace – some of the best I have seen.

In reviewing the principal performances:

• Antonio Salieri. An amazing performance of a very challenging part. Hardly off-stage, you were able to convey the many sides of Salieri and even keep the humour and our sympathies of the character despite his motivations and plots. Your monologues were totally compelling. Extremely well done.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A quite excellent performance too. You were also able to portray the many sides of the character, capturing Mozart’s energy, bawdiness and silliness (including that laugh), right through to his anger, frustration, desperation and the insanity of his demise.  All quite fantastic.
• Constanze Weber.  A lovely portrayal of what is another really challenging part. Though you were able to portray the full range of emotions in building the character too – it was your sense of fun that really shone through. Some great chemistry with Mozart in particular.
• Emperor Joseph II.  A dynamic and memorable portrayal of the Emperor with some great energy and fun. Very well done.
• Count Johann Kilian Von Strack. Great stuffiness and reactions to Mozart’s behaviours.
• Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg.  A well-controlled performance in portraying the characters frustrations at Mozart’s ability to take on-board his advice.
• Baron Gottfried Van Swiften.  Well-portrayed too, Your scenes with Mozart were most memorable and in keeping of the character, ensuring he was so deliberately dull!
• Gossips. Some lovely work here as effectively being a pseudo-Greek Chorus. The audience could feel how much you were enjoying your roles and you kept your characters well.
• Venticelli 1 and 2..  Engaging and entertaining performances from you both as Salieri’s gossipmongers. Nicely done.
• Salieri’s Valet, Salieri’s Cook, Priest, Katherina Cavalieri, Great support from an ensemble with a real depth of talent – supporting the other performances without distracting from them. This was from the whispers of ‘Salieri’ at the start and finish, through to the delightful freeze scenes in The Music Flute.

In summary, this was an excellent production from Tickenham Drama Group. Your performance was compelling, engaging, entertaining and of a very high-standard. You were able to balance the drama, emotion and humour within the play to create something completely immersive, even for what is a long play and on some uncomfortable seats after a while. Very well done to everyone involved for a great evening of high-quality entertainment and I wish you every success for the future.

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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