Amadeus - Pasadena Playhouse

If you find yourself anywhere near Southern California make time to see AMADEUS.  Jefferson Mays is giving a performance for the ages.  This is an exquisite production.  Performances across the board are excellent and the taut direction allows for Jefferson to fully dive into Sallerari. 

Also, the best set design I have ever seen in a production in LA area in my lifetime.   Sumptuous . 

Recommend sitting as close as possible if one can.

I don't know if this will have a life outside of Pasadena but Jefferson deserves the Tony for this.  

I really really want to see this. Darko Tresnjak and Alexander Dodge area fabulous team. And the talent in the cast is amazing. I hope it comes to NY soon.

WindyNewYorker said: "Is there live music in this play production? I understand there is live music pre-show. Thank you!"

Instrumental tracks are recorded but the singing is live (and exceptional). No live pre-show music.

Sorry I wasn’t clear, the pre-show mini concert is listed on the website as:

BEFORE THE DRAMA IGNITES, LET MOZART SET THE MOOD.

We’re excited to announce the perfect overture to Amadeus – Micro Mozart – in partnership with our friends at Pasadena Conservatory of Music. As a special treat before every performance of Peter Shaffer’s legendary masterpiece, we’ll be bringing you FREE 10-minute live concerts in the Playhouse Bar performed by PCM’s brilliant young musicians, ages 9 – 15.

Ah, sorry I missed that. Anyway, I completely agree with VernonGersch, this is a truly exceptional production that deserves a future life. Here’s the review I posted on a different thread after seeing it last week: 

I caught the last preview of this tonight and thought it was terrific. It's a bit of a Gentleman's Guide reunion, with an outstanding Jefferson Mays as Salieri, Darko Tresnjak directing, Lauren Worsham as Constanze, and much of the same design team (Alexander Dodge scenic, Linda Cho costumes, Aaron Rhyne projections). Sam Clemmett is a funny, tragic, and fully relatable Mozart., and the design elements and operatic voices are all top-notch. I've seen several productions of the play over the years (though I missed the recent Steppenwolf revival), going all the way back to Ian McKellen/Tim Curry/Jane Seymour in 1980, and while nothing will ever match my memory of that original, this is a wonderful way to rediscover the play - or discover it, if you only know the movie. Pasadena Playhouse has fully redeemed itself for one of the worst things I've seen there (the dreadful Sam Pinkleton La Cage Aux Folles) with one of the very best. Highly recommended, see it if you can.  

The recent Steppenwolf production was quite good as well.

This was spectacular, and I only wish more people could have the opportunity to see Mays devour this role. Clemmett and Worsham are excellent and heartbreaking, but really it's all there to showcase Mays, who gives a Tony-worthy performance that never once lets up on the gas. A top notch production for the Playhouse.

A Broadway revival would undoubtedly star like Tom Hanks and Harry Styles or something, but Mays is more than deserving of having this chance in NYC.

Does anyone think this might transfer?

FightTheDragons said: "Having seen this tonight, I must add to the chorus of praise. Pasadena Playhouse'sAmadeusis a brilliant piece of theater. Having had no familiarity with the material going in, I was blown away by the writing, thematic depth, and intrigue -- but most of all by Jefferson Mays as Antonio Salieri.

Yes, Mays is giving a performance for the ages in this one. Reuniting with Tresnjak, who uses Mays' ability to seamlessly shift between characters mid-scene to thrilling effect here by having him effortlessly transition between old and young Salieri onstage, Mays does his own wig change and findssuch incredible vocal dynamics to indicate the shift that you sometimes can't even tell what he's doing to indicate it; you just know so clearly which of the two he's playing. Beyond that, he's utterly thrilling in every moment of the play -- envious, hungry, hilarious, effortlessly heartbreaking yet astonishingly appalling in the same breath.

Clemmett is great here too, and especially in act 2 keeps it from just being the Jefferson Mays show. The final confrontation scene between the two of them is so top notch and really lets them both flex their chops to an extreme degree. Worsham is as good as she can be in a pretty thankless role -- good for her that she still reads age appropriate here despite being 10 years Clemmett's senior.

Pasadena really tends to ebb and flow in quality; theirCyranowas borderline life-changing and theirSundaywas absolutely fantastic, but theirJelly's Last Jamwas mediocre and theirA Doll's House, Part 2was a slog. Not to mention their genuinely horrendousLa Cage Aux Folles. This, though, is an incredible return to form for the company, and I hope to see more like this from their future output."

 

 

I haven't seen this yet but that is fascinating you mention La Cage. I went with a friend and while we stayed to the end we were baffled at the absolute amateur level of the production. Having never seen the show before we were like has it always been bad

 

FightTheDragons said: "It's interesting because I actually thought Pasadena'sNight Musicwas rather mediocre, though it was my first and only exposure to the material so the show may just not be for me. Dandridge was phenomenal (loved her in Hadestown, too), but the rest of it fell flat for me storyline wise.

I also had not seenLa Cagebefore, and have not seen it since -- I want to experience another production again eventually, but I need more time to clear what I witnessed out of my brain or the next production I see will be completely tainted by the memories of Kevin Cahoons̶c̶r̶e̶e̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ singing "I Am What I Am.""

 

Jesus you're bringing memories back. My friend and I looked at each other during I am what I am in disbelief.