 |
|
|
| Every season in St. Louis theatre we see
a break-out performance that far outshines the other great performances
throughout the year. Have we seen it already at the Repertory Theatre of
St. Louis opener? With the great Peter Shaffer play,
Amadeus bringing kudos in every aspect, the stunning work of Andrew
Long truly stands out. The role of Salieri is about as juicy as any in theatre anyway, but Mr. Long brings us a remarkable study of this complicated and demonized man. First, he brings us two completely different characters as the old, dying Salieri and as the brash young man threatened by a talent only he seems to be able to see from the new upstart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Then we see nuances and aspect of Salieri that only a great actor can pull from his wealth of stage experience. It's a performance you won't soon forget. The rest of the cast is truly stellar as well. Jim Poulos as the bratty and hateful Mozart is outstanding. He too must move from this giddy know-it-all to a man driven mad by poison- literally and figuratively. His final moments are moving and poignant. As his wife, Elizabeth Stanley brings another great performance to this production. She also goes through several transformations and delivers every moment with grace and beauty. Although too many to mention, the supporting cast shines as well from Joe Hickey as the befuddled Emperor to the twosome of Craig Baldwin and Michael Dean Morgan as the mini "Greek Chorus." Despite the lush and grandiose look and feel of the amazing film version of Amadeus, you just can't beat a live, on stage performance of this or any show. Besides the great performances and technical aspects, you get live moments like the opening night snafu when one of the stage lights exploded and rained down on stage. With aplomb, Salieri and Constance took a moment and carried on while supporting players move in to clean up the mess as unobtrusively as they could. It's just another thing that makes you marvel at live theatre. With stunning direction by Paul Mason Barnes and a beautiful set by Bill Clarke, the costumes of Dorothy Marshall Englis and the lighting design of Peter E. Sargent, this production of Amadeus has more going for it than anything you may have seen on a St. Louis stage in quite some time. Don't miss the classic- Amadeus- as it runs on the Mainstage of the Rep through October 4th. This is Steve Allen with theatre in St. Louis for CLASSIC99. |
||