Classical Mood
I saw Amadeus at the Mary Moody Northern Theatre at St. Edward's University a couple weeks ago and thought it very entertaining. I just read the review in the Austin Chronicle (published just this past Friday the 5th of May) and don't disagree that someone could have the impressions that the reviewer does, but my reactions to the same stimulus were significantly different. Where he found the Salieri's statements overly ponderous and heavy throughout, I found them appropriately grave throughout. He was a man telling a story on one long night, and throughout it, he knew and was tortured by the ending to which he was building. While the other characters were re-created in his imagination as they existed at various points in the story, he never quite escaped his future knowledge as he placed himself back in the narrative. Perhaps this was not was intended, but it was a very satisfactory result. That said, some of his monologues with God were a little overly long.
The cast as a whole struck me as strong. Mozart was wonderfully and vibrantly played in particular. The gentlemen of the Viennese court all appeared to be older actors, not students, and played with quality. Mozart's wife was the most important student role and a leading role in the production and she did an admirable and entertaining job of it.
Having seen a few productions at Mary Moody, I was delighted by the sound system they had for this performance. The speakers all had good quality wireless microphones that worked very well. The seating surrounds the main stage on all four sides, so the actors are inevitably turned away from some of the audience as they speak. They often turn while speaking. In particular, there was a scene where one character leaned over another, and I was startled and happy that the whispered words were so clearly conveyed to us in the audience. I hope they get to keep the sound system. They had special lights for this production which worked very well as well -- though they need a little more practice holding the spot lights steady. The lights might have been on loan or part of a one-performance sponsorship, but if not, the theater needs a stronger cooling system to compensate for the heat which builds up during the performance.