Amadeus
A play by Peter Shaffer
Amadeus originated in London, but was reworked by Peter Shaffer when he brought it to the U.S. It opened at the National Theater in Washington, D.C. before it moved to Broadway. In the Foreward to the Signet edition of the play, Shaffer writes
"There ensued what was for me a tense period in Washington, after we had already opened the play, when I experimented with a series of new confrontation scenes between Salieri and Mozart...Ian McKellen and Tim Curry--the actors chiefly concerned--were heroic in assisting me--putting in, playing, and taking out several versions of this climactic passage. Their patience and dedication finally enabled me to discover what I wanted."
On the right is the poster of the Broadway show. Tim was nominated for a "Best Actor" Tony for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but it was Ian McKellen as Antonio Salieri who went home with the statue.
Tim Curry said Mozart was a wonderful part. "It's got a real arc. The toughest thing was trying to convince anybody that you could have written the music. I mean, you're this infantile kind of guy running around on all fours saying 'botty, bum, bum' and then you sort of get up and write Don Giovanni. But that's what I like, really. Making contradictions work."
Ian McKellen as Salieri, and Tim Curry as Mozart
Yes, that's Jane Seymour smacking Tim Curry's bottom with a ruler.
More sedate pictures of Wolfie and Costanze.
Wolfgang and Costanze.
When interviewer Michael Spring commented that The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a long way from Amadeus, Tim Curry replied: "Not really. Mozart had a 'rock and roll' career. He was a child prodigy who was carted around Europe from court to court by his father. He was a child star who was composing from the age of six. He was a completely instinctive musician [like many today]. One of the ideas of the play is that his music comes directly from God, and that he used to receive it whole, in his head. Musicians were supposed to behave deferentially, but he always said exactly what was on his mind--like many rock and roll musicians today."
"The play is not about 18th-century music, but about the difference between a genius whose gift comes from God, and a man who has worked hard all his life on technique, but has no inspiration. It's also about artistic talent, and about people who feel inferior because they are less gifted than they would like to be. In a sense, the play ends up saying that we're all mediocre, but that we've got to get on with our lives--all but geniuses like Mozart--and how many of those have we come across...?"
Mozart greets the court (color picture). My favorite scene: Mozart explains how in opera four voices can all be singing at the same time without creating confusion.
Watching the premiere of The Magic Flute.
"People find it difficult to believe a man with so little notion of social grace could write such sublime music, but I don't suppose van Gogh was too much fun at a party."
Headshots from the program.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids held an auction of 40 teddy bears on February 15, 1998. Each bear is a one-of-a-kind creation, based on the characters in 40 different Broadway shows. This is the Amadeus bear. The catalogue says: "WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART The musical rivalry between Mozart and Salieri made for riveting (and Tony Award-winning) theatre in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. The title role was brilliantly played by Tim Curry. His costume is recreated here in the original materials from an original design by John Bury. Our beautifully costumed bear impresses the
Viennese Court in a period-styled full-skirted coat with deep cuffs and antiqued metal button trim. The multi-colored pastel floral brocade is carefully cut to mirror the pattern from side to side and is lined in taupe silk. Underneath the splendid coat he wears deep cream corduroy knee pants, a paler cream moire
vest, cream stockings with matching jabot and wrist ruffles trimmed in heavy lace. On his feet are stack heeled and buckled leather shoes and his head bears a spectacular hand-tied lace-front wig with side curls, a velvet bag and silk satin ribbon bow to tie back his queue.
Original costume designer: John Bury;
Bear costume designer: John David Ridge;
Signed by Tim Curry"
I was told that at the auction, they showed a slide of Tim holding the bear. The program doesn't mention it, but you can see by looking at the Amadeus program above that John David Ridge was the Associate Costume Designer of the play.
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