AMADEUS 

Lakewood Theatre Company begins 2005 on Friday, January 14, 2005 with the Tony-Award winning play Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. The production, directed by Bill Dobson, revolves around Antonio Salieri (Kevin Connell), a devout musician who has prayed all his life to be the conduit for God's music on earth. When a boorish and infantile young musical prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Leif Norby), appears in Vienna, Salieri quickly recognizes that God has bestowed his musical gifts not on him, but on Mozart. Salieri vows to revenge himself on God by destroying Mozart.

Performances continue through February 20, 2005 on the Headlee Mainstage at Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State Street in Lake Oswego, Thursday -Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 7:00 PM. There will also be one Sunday matinee, January 23, 2005 at 2:00 PM. 

About the Play: Amadeus opens in Vienna at the turn of the 18th century with composer Antonio Salieri (Kevin Connell) anticipating the last hours of his life. From his wheelchair, he dramatically raises his fist to the heavens and proclaims himself the murderer of his arch musical nemesis, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Leif Norby). Bitter at God for bestowing the young virtuoso, and not him, with musical genius of pious proportions, Salieri had spent his adult life -- from the moment he first heard Mozart's work -- plotting the downfall of his rival. But the question is, did he achieve his wicked plan?

Amadeus is structured as a series of theatrical flashbacks seen from Salieri's perspective. Close to death and fearing that God has abandoned him, given his many angry attempts to destroy his unwanted competitor, Salieri confesses his rage, jealousy, misdeeds and regrets. Peter Shaffer pays tribute to the immortal glory of Mozart's genius and his timeless musical legacy that has survived a tragically short life. The nature of artistic creativity, the enigma of genuine inspiration and the complex links between religious faith, moral standards and free artistic expression form the tapestry of this exciting theatrical work. The play, however, is more than an amazing fiction of the death of Mozart; it is a tale of how the lust for fame can move a man to turn against God.
 
Written in 1979, Amadeus won the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Theatre Critics Award for the London production. It later won the 1981 Tony Award for "Best Play" and ran for over 1000 performances on Broadway. The movie version won eight Academy Awards in 1985.

Others in the cast include Melissa Whitney as Constanze, Tim Smith as Joseph the Emperor, Paul Miller and Joe Healy as The Venticelli, Brian Swisher as Orsini-Rosenberg, Curt Hanson as Baron van Swieten, Sean Knight as von Strack, and Leslie Gale, Stevie Booth, Allison Bausch, Richard Garfield, Dylan Wright and Nathan Williams as citizens.

Amadeus was last seen in the Portland area 18 years ago when Mr. Dobson directed the Northwest premiere for Mark Allen's Portland Repertory Theatre. Mr. Dobson notes: "I'm delighted and eager to revisit a marvelous piece of theatre with a new perspective for Lakewood Theatre Company."

Please note: Amadeus has some language that may not be suitable for some pre-teen audiences.

Stage Direction for LTC's production of Amadeus is by Bill Dobson. The stage design is by Chris Whitten, lighting design is by Glenn Gauer, properties are by Felix Kelsey, costume design is by Margaret Louise Chapman, wig design is by Jane Holmes and the stage manager is Felix Kelsey. Sound design for Amadeus is by Dan Hallberg and the producer is Kay Vega.