Amadeus
| Amadeus | |
|---|---|
Playbill, 1981
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| Written by | Peter Shaffer |
| Characters |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Antonio Salieri Constanze Weber Katherina Cavalieri Emperor Joseph II Count Orsini-Rosenberg Baron Gottfried van Swieten Giuseppe Bonno Count Johann Kilian von Strack Priest Teresa Salieri Venticelli Vienna Citizens |
| Date premiered | 2 November 1979 |
| Place premiered |
National Theatre London, England |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| Genre | Drama, tragedy |
| Setting | 1783–1825; Vienna, Austria; the Court of Joseph II |
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer, which gives a highly fictionalized account of the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. First performed in 1979, Amadeus was inspired by a short 1830 play by Alexander Pushkin called Mozart and Salieri (which was also used as the libretto for an opera of the same name by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1897).
In the play, significant use is made of the music of Mozart, Salieri and other composers of the period. The premieres of Mozart's operas The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute are each the setting for key scenes of the play.
After being presented successfully at the Royal National Theatre, London in 1979, the play moved to the West End followed by Broadway. Amadeus won the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play. It was adapted by Shaffer for the 1984 Academy Award-winning film of the same name.
Since the original run, Shaffer has extensively revised his play, including changes to plot details; the following is common to all revisions.
At the opening of the tale, Salieri is an old man, having long outlived his fame. Speaking directly to the audience, he claims to have used poison to assassinate Mozart, and promises to explain himself. The action then flashes back to the eighteenth century, at a time when Salieri has not met Mozart in person, but has heard of him and his music. He adores Mozart's compositions, and is thrilled at the chance to meet Mozart in person, during a salon at which some of Mozart's compositions will be played. When he finally does catch sight of Mozart, however, he is deeply disappointed to find that Mozart himself lacks the grace and charm of his compositions: When Salieri first meets him, Mozart is crawling around on his hands and knees, engaging in profane talk with his future bride Constanze Weber.
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