"Amadeus:" A Refresher on the Story

It’s 1781, and Antonio Salieri holds the illustrious position of chamber composer in the Viennese court of Emperor Joseph II. Salieri is the model of success: his operas are loved in both Vienna and across Europe, his musical taste is exquisite and his skill at court politics is undeniable.

But the pious Salieri knows that success doesn’t come for free; he believes that God bestows His gifts on only the most righteous, the most deserving. That is until Salieri meets Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wunderkind composer and enfant terrible. Mozart is gaudy, bawdy, petulant—and a remarkable talent.

It’s not long before Salieri recognizes his own music is, at best, adequate next Mozart’s—amusing trifles in the shadows of great works of art—and he’s consumed by jealousy. How could a just God give so much to someone so…small? How could the Almighty turn his back on Salieri, his greatest attendant?

As Salieri’s envy grows, he wages a war against God—with Mozart is the battleground.
Amadeus by Peter Shaffer runs May 6-June 5, 2016, on the Segerstrom Stage.

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