A Review of Clarendon Productions’ Amadeus

When I go to review a show I have checklist in my head, a series of tick boxes that help to inform my assessment of the overall performance. Upon watching Amadeus this week at the Keble O’Reilly I felt that director Lucas Angeli must have had a similar list in his own head. All of the common mistakes made in Oxford Drama had been taken into consideration, these practicalities being woven into a piece of theatre which was undeniably phenomenal. Every element of the show had been clearly thought through, with the director’s creative flair being visible in each decision.

The O’Reilly has gained a reputation recently for being a challenging space to tackle and yet Clarendon Productions took on the challenge with nothing short of finesse. The asymmetric thrust was used well, the actors playing to all sides. Alongside this, both of the balconies on offer were utilised not only for the orchestra but for moments of performance, whether Mozart watching Salieri below or the court officials watching a performance from amongst the ropes beside the musicians. Moreover, the audience seating was utilised for both immersive and comedic effect, with the same few audience members being targeting repetitively to be sat on or to be turfed out of their seats to make way for the emperor and his entourage. It was clear that this was a production designed for the space and from where I was sitting every decision was carried off flawlessly. In fact, the entire performance was so beautifully visual, Angeli having such an awareness of how every scene should look. The use of the fans throughout the performance, coupled with the stunning costumes and wigs led to this being one of those shows that you can’t help but admire like a photograph. But this was more than a photograph, movement being such a fundamental and notable element of the performance. Not only was Salieri regularly being dragged across the space in his armchair, but every piece of furniture was on wheels flying around the stage with actors atop them regularly. It was bold and brave and one hundred percent paid off. Speaking of the various set pieces, the decision to use cast members as stage hands was a smart option, Suzie Weidmann and Joe Rachman being present almost always as they helped with set changes, observed from the audience, or simply lounged visibly backstage in character.

Forever observing the action, Jo Rich’s Salieri was often to be found in the audience seated in different places along the front row. This breaking of the fourth wall allowed the audience to feel as though Salieri was at once part of the action and separate as he looked back on the events of the past. As for the actor himself, Rich’s performance was excellent. In fact, all of the leads were flawless, with Poddy Wilson’s Mozart and Molly Jones’ Constanze exploding onto the stage with so much life and energy in their first appearance and then maintaining control of the audience’s attention every time they stepped foot on stage. These three were a pleasure to watch, the entire cast being incredibly strong (as could probably have been predicted by the familiar names of Oxford Drama heavyweights). It was wonderful to see Bethan Draycott back upon our university’s stage, her rendition of a cat miaowing at the beginning of the second half being particularly memorable. The music was used masterfully throughout the performance, being present at key moments and yet never too overbearing. Of course, with a small orchestra, singers and lines, there were moments in which the actors could not be heard despite the use of mics (a clear sign that this dilemma had been considered). There were moments in which these actors strived so hard to project over the cacophony of sounds, but still were not loud enough. There was also the occasional moment in which actors were not quite in their light, but so be the world of theatre.

With one final shoutout to the red lit staging of the Don Giovanni scene, I will draw this review to a close. Having never seen a production of Amadeus I am not best placed to judge how different Angeli’s is from the original. However, there was a palpable sense that what was being created within that room was something breath-taking and on a scale that is not typically seen outside of the Playhouse. This is a story fundamentally about jealousy, yet it is only wonder at the skill on display that the audience felt. If this was a performance about the raising of gods and ghosts there is no denying that they would have been appeased by such a display of energy and creativity. So much of the director’s personality shines through in every moment, which more than anything else is a sign of quite a how excellently his vision was realised. Fans, wigs, sheet music scattered across the floor and biscuits being trampled into the stage… this was a performance that can only be described as visually spectacular.

Image courtesy of Clarendon Productions