AMADEUS Review
“Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play “Amadeus,” a fanciful account of the toxic relationship between composers Mozart and his jealous elder Salieri, stormed the London and New York stages when first performed, winning a Tony and later an Oscar for its filmed version. In this story Salieri, who is intensely jealous of the casual genius that God has bestowed on what he considers an unworthy vessel, destroys the hapless Mozart with a series of court intrigues and carefully machinated humiliations. The play provides, in Salieri, one of the great vehicles for stage actors and has been much revived in repertory.
The SOOP Theatre Company, whose regular productions of youth musicals at The Manor Club have enthused so many aspiring thespians and delighted audiences, decided it was time to bring adult theater to this storied but underused stage. The Company is to be congratulated for its sterling efforts to promote acting and theater in our community. “Amadeus” is the first of what we can only hope will be a series of new productions.
SOOP artistic director Paul Romanello took on the daunting role of Salieri in this unadorned and straightforward rendering of the play, which, however, came across as surprisingly refreshing. Mr. Romanello’s robust stage presence swept through the production consumed by his hatred and thirst for revenge and raging against an ungrateful God. The flashbacks between the old and dying Salieri to the younger version were achieved seamlessly, his voice and posture changing on a dime from that of a wobbly old man to the sharp tongued and sly younger self. He deftly brought out the irony of Salieri’s position (he is doomed to be the only one to really understand Mozart’s genius) and his faux-solicitous interactions with the young genius and his wife were subtly conveyed. It’s a big, demanding role and Mr. Romanello managed the marathon performance with élan under the unassuming direction of Francesco Campari.
Also of note in the cast was Rebecca Strimaitis in the role of Mozart’s wife and enabler Constanze. She brought off this complicated character perfectly, which combines innocence, playfulness and shrewishness in equal measure, and is not easily portrayed without descending into caricature. Stephen Zuccaro and Jimmy McDonald were naturally and hilariously paired as the gossipy servants and Matthew Baker’s Emperor Joseph was suitably fatuous. In fact there were no weak spots in the cast and if I single any out for praise it is no reflection on the other actors all of whom offered solid support.
Lighting design by Devon Allen was noticeably stark, the characters slipping in and out of shadow and emphasizing the secrecy of Salieri’s plotting. As in most recent SOOP productions Cindy Judge proved ingenious in her costume design on a limited budget. All in all this was a well-presented and entertaining piece that was well received by the audience—and here is my beef.
On the Friday I saw the show it was not particularly well attended and I consider this to be a blot on our community. While our other art institutions, particularly The Picture House and The Art Center enjoy considerable local support for their events, live theater has yet to attract the same kind of enthusiasm. Why is this? Perhaps high-priced Broadway shows are seen as less accessible than other forms of entertainment, a pastime only for the elite, a rarefied world like opera, and this turns some off. Perhaps people forget the power of live entertainment. Perhaps it is mere apathy. And perhaps, even, we expect too much from an over-entertained community. Whatever it is, this reluctance must be combated by those of us who believe that openness to the arts is as important to us and to our children as participation in sporting activities. Let’s not become Philistines.
An appreciation of the arts is a vital component of a strong and successful populace and should not be taken for granted. The immediacy and transience of live theater (and live music for that matter) cannot be achieved in any other medium and convey a power that film or television lack, providing a visceral and direct human connection and intellectual stimulation. It is an invaluable medium.
So I encourage the community to cherish and support all future theatrical efforts wherever they are presented locally. The SOOP Theater Company in particular does so much good for the community and our children that they deserve our greater support. Come on Pelham—let’s go to the theater!”
– Mark Sidgwick / PelhamPlus.com