Amadeus

Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. A play about Mozart and Salieri. First produced in 1979 at the National Theatre in London by Peter Hall, with Paul Scofield as Salieri and Simon Callow as Mozart and in 1980 at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York, with Ian McKellen as Salieri, Tim Curry as Mozart and Jane Seymour as his wife. Hall, who has reworked the play six times with Shaffer, wrote in his revival of the script in 1998-99: "It is probably the most successful serious play of the last century. It has triumphed everywhere. Peter Shaffer has done more to encourage the love and understanding of Mozart than anyone this century." The legendary 1984 film adaptation by Milos Forman starring Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham won eight Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Film and Best Director.

Performance history in South Africa

1981: The first South African production was in 1981 by Pieter Toerien Productions by arrangement with the National Theatre of Great Britain, directed by Nikolas Simmonds at the Baxter Theatre, with Ralph Lawson as Mozart and Richard Haines as Salieri. The cast included John Rogers, Pierre Knoesen, Albert Raphael, Nigel Kane, George Jackson, Terry Norton, Michael Findlay, Kerry Jordan, Ros Chapman, Michelle Bestbier, Basil Soper, Len Sparrow-Hawk, James Whyle, Gordon Sara, Alberto Pereira. Pieter Toerien staged this production starring Richard Haines and Ralph Lawson and directed by Nikolas Simmonds at the Alhambra Theatre in 1981. Michael Atkinson replaced Haines in a subsequent extended season. The production also formed part of the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown 10-17 July 1981. Set and costumes designed by Bruno Santini, lighting digner Stan Knight.

1991: Presented by NAPAC at The Drama, Natal Playhouse, directed by Chrisopher Weare, from 19 April 1991.

1989: Presented by University Theatre Stellenbosch in the H.B. Thom Theatre in September, directed by Noël Roos, starring, among others, Raél Mercuur, Werner Coetzee, Waldi Schultz, André van der Merwe, Erik de Waal and Kobus Rossouw.

1999: Staged in the State Theatre, directed by Alan Swerdlow, with Michael Richard (Salieri), Anthony Coleman (Mozart), Greg Melvill-Smith, David Clatworthy, Franz Dobrowsky and Dale Cutts.

2006: Produced by the Baxter Theatre, directed by Lara Foot-Newton, with designs by Peter Cazalet, and starring Brian Murray, Nicholas Pauling, Frances Marek, Abduragmaan Adams, Jeremy Crutchley, Jeroen Kranenburg and others.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeus

Amadeus theatre programme, 1981.

Barrow, Brian & Williams-Short, Yvonne (eds.). 1988. Theatre Alive! The Baxter Story 1977-1987

Go to ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays

Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays

Return to PLAYS III: Collections

Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances

Return to South African Festivals and Competitions

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page