AMADEUS (Did He Do It?)

From left to right, Matt Daniels as Antonio Salieri, Brennan Martinez as Katherina Cavalieri, live chamber ensemble, and cast of Amadeus at Skylight Music Theatre. Photo credit: Mark Frohna.

A review of Amadeus

by Madelyn Verhyen, age 14

In their 66th season, Skylight Music Theatre performed Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. The play is set in the 1700s and takes a deeper dive into the rumor of Antonio Salieri being responsible for the premature death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Throughout the production, Salieri narrates both composers’ stories from his perspective. As they grow older, Salieri’s hatred for Mozart grows as well. There are some setbacks, but the cast made everything worth it.

Though the show is long, there is an intermission that gives sufficient time to take a quick stretch. I recommend not getting a booth if afraid of heights. There must not have been many people with acrophobia who went to the show, considering the fact that it was sold out the night I went.

The actors in the play had to constantly move the set, so they were, no doubt, on the ball. On top of that, the female characters all wore large dresses, designed by Kristina Sneshkoff, which presumably held a significant amount of weight. Nonetheless, the dresses added to the performance, as did the live five-person orchestra. Janna Vinson, the music director and piano player, also wore a dress while playing on the piano.

Not only did Matt Daniels portray Salieri, the main character, but he was also in every scene. He had to memorize many monologues and repeatedly alternate ages. For the older version of Antonio, Matt changed his voice and posture to embody the character. I thank the casting director for their choice.

The performance was spectacular; even so, I would recommend the youngest age to be thirteen due to the ability to understand the production and the mature themes such as death, drinking, and suicide. If you missed Amadeus at Skylight Music Theatre, Mozart can play a requiem in honor of your decision.