Amadeus - Pasadena Playhouse

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 2/22/26 at 11:34am

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.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/22/26 at 12:17pm

 

[hyangsoo]

Posted: 2/22/26 at 3:29pm

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]

Posted: 2/22/26 at 5:04pm

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

[Dan6]

Posted: 2/22/26 at 7:09pm

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.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/22/26 at 10:15pm

hyangsoo said: "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."

I would also love to see this.

I don't really have high hopes for NY outside of the Broadway nonprofits. Or maybe someplace like Theatre for a New Audience if the rightsholders would be willing to sanction an off-Bway run? It'd be very difficult to raise Broadway-level money or sustain a 16-week run on Mays and Clemmet's names or the title's name - even with strong Pasadena reviews.

[WindyNewYorker]

Posted: 2/23/26 at 4:47pm

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.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/23/26 at 4:53pm

I somehow missed that Jefferson Mays was doing this! He’s never less than exceptional and this is a fantastic role for him. 

[Dan6]

Posted: 2/23/26 at 4:54pm

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.  

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 2/23/26 at 5:07pm

Would love to see the National production come over from UK with new casting.  Perhaps Mayes.  If Mayes was the Salieri in that production, it might have been truly perfect.  The design and live onstage music made it undeniably palpable. 

Updated On: 2/23/26 at 05:07 PM

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 2/23/26 at 5:22pm

The recent Steppenwolf production was quite good as well.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 2/26/26 at 10:19pm

Positive review from Variety: "Gorgeously Mounted" and "Essential"

[TellZ]

Posted: 2/27/26 at 9:00pm

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.

[FightTheDragons]

Posted: 2/28/26 at 3:06am

Having seen this tonight, I must add to the chorus of praise. Pasadena Playhouse's Amadeus is 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 finds such 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; their Cyrano was borderline life-changing and their Sunday was absolutely fantastic, but their Jelly's Last Jam was mediocre and their A Doll's House, Part 2 was a slog. Not to mention their genuinely horrendous La 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.

Updated On: 2/28/26 at 03:06 AM

[mitchern]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 8:58am

Does anyone think this might transfer?

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 10:31am

Pasadena Playhouse has never sent anything to Broadway so it seems unlikely. Unless a non profit like Roundabout or MTC picked it up (and even then), AMADEUS is a very big show with a big cast and expensive running costs. I'm not sure a production starring Jefferson Mayes would be viable for a commercial production with current production costs in New York.

I'm so pleased to hear these great reports for the production. Pasadena Playhouse productions really can be hit or miss - I thought their lush and elaborate A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC was also absolutely fantastic and would also have provided the bones for a strong New York production.

[kingfan011]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 1:25pm

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]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 3:48pm

It's interesting because I actually thought Pasadena's Night Music was 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 seen La Cage before, 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 Cahoon s̶c̶r̶e̶e̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ singing "I Am What I Am."

[kingfan011]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 5:38pm

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.

 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/9/26 at 2:58pm

We're late to the party but were absolutely dazzled by the AMADEUS last night at Pasadena Playhouse. Raves to all concerned--the cast, the staging, the spectacular design by the team behind Broadway's Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. We've come to expect great acting at the Playhouse, but rarely have been offered so elevated a production level. There wasn't a moment of staging on that regional stage that wouldn't have been equally at home in any Broadway theater today. 

Seeing the play again after years living with the Milos Foreman film, I'd forgotten how relentlessly sad the play's second act is. The film invented the glorious deathbed scene with Salieri transcribing the Requiem's notes from Mozart's dictation that was perhaps the most moving sequence onscreen. Boy, does the play feel weaker without it.

And yup, we all went into the theater with some trepidation after withstanding that God-awful production of LA CAGE the Playhouse mounted last year to uniform boos. Happily, AMADEUS gives us renewed hope for the future of the theater-- praying that their BRIGADOON this May maintains their new high standard.