Amadeus
Review
No-one likes a smart-alec, so it's hardly surprising child genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart evoked such resentment. A brilliant composer who knocked up symphonies while still wetting the bed, Mozart's outstanding talent left mediocrities like court composer Antonio Salieri trailing in his wake. When Mozart's supremely irritating personality - vain, self-absorbed and infantile - was added to the mix, who could blame Salieri for killing his greatest rival. But did he? Peter Shaffer's gripping play examines the question from the vantage point of Salieri's last hours alive as he 'confesses' to poisoning Mozart.
His tale takes us back into an eighteenth-century world where superb musicianship counts for nothing without social correctness. It's an ambitious project for HumDrum AmDram, but one which they tackle admirably. After just five productions they have established themselves as a major innovative force on the Portsmouth amateur dramatic scene. Not content with dusting off authentic wigs and costumes, the group made custom-made corsets so each woman could have the required heaving bosom.
Jay Cross' Mozart is the kind of spoilt brat you want to slap, while Simon Ware's performance as Salieri is stunning for someone with no stage experience a year ago. Stuart Francis and Wendy Roe are an excellent double act as Salieri's pet gossips, and Carol Simmonds is wonderfully coarse as Mozart's wife Constanze.
Neil Pugmire - The Portsmouth News - 9th January 1996
