Everybody has their nemesis – that one rival force you come up against over and over, and never seem to best. And while for some of us that nemesis is merely the concept of Monday mornings, in Peter Shaffer’s shattering drama Amadeus, it’s court composer Antonio Salieri who squares off against the genius of musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, finding himself torn between the idea of promoting or destroying his irrefutable talent.
Michael Longhurst’s acclaimed production of the show returns to the National Theatre‘s grandiose Olivier Theatre this January following a sell-out run of performances last year, with Adam Gillen and Lucian Msamati reprising their heralded roles as Mozart and Salieri respectively. Don’t miss the first pictures from the rehearsal room below.
Rehearsals for Amadeus at the National Theatre (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Lucian Msamati (Antonio Salieri) in rehearsal for Amadeus at the National Theatre (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Adem Gillen (Wolfgang Mozart) in rehearsal for Amadeus at the National Theatre (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Amadeus centres on the conflict between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy who arrives in Vienna with a peerless ear for composition. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Salieri finds himself seized by obsessive jealousy, and so he begins a war with Mozart, with music and, ultimately, with God.
Amadeus features live orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia, with a cast which also includes Sarah Amankwah, Fleur de Bray, Wendy Dawn Thompson, Carleen Ebbs, Nicholas Gerard-Martin, Christopher Godwin, Matthew Hargreaves, Carla Harrison-Hodge, Adelle Leonce, Michael Lyle, Andrew Macbean, Alexandra Mathie, Eamonn Mulhall, Ekow Quartey, Hugh Sachs, Matthew Spencer, Everal A Walsh and Peter Willcock.
Lucian Msamati (Antonio Salieri) in rehearsal for Amadeus at the National Theatre (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Adam Gillen (Wolfgang Mozart) and Adele Leonce (Constanze Weber) in rehearsal for Amadeus at the National Theatre (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Sarah Amankwah, Lucian Msamati and Ekow Quartey in rehearsal for Amadeus at the National Theatre (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Directed by Michael Longhurst with design by Chloe Lamford, Amadeus plays from 11 January.
You can book your tickets through the National Theatre website.