ON STAGE 1 Vol. 3 No.3. May 2017 TH 2 0 17 supPORTinG Media MAJOR suppORTErs COre presenTinG PRINCIPAL parTnerS FUNDERS AN BenefacTOrs parTners parTners funder K S TO TH TO E supp O R T ers O ATC P ATC F auc at RONS K land A ND FUNDER S U TH PP OR ea T ING A T RE Telecommunications ct C Partner S OM uniVersiTY PRINCIPAL pan parTner parTner Y A freshapproachtoICTmanagedser vices – AntonioSalieri in thefurnace ofart” “Goodness isnothing CAST Antonio Salieri — Michael Hurst Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Ross McCormack Joseph the Emperor / Ensemble — Byron Coll Sweiten / Ensemble — Kura Forrester Rosenberg / Ensemble — Laughton Kora Constanze / Strack / Ensemble — Morgana O’Reilly Katherina Cavalieri / Ensemble — Madison Nonoa CREATIVE Director — Oliver Driver | Musical Director — Leon Radojkovic Choreographer — Ross McCormack | Set Designer — Ella Mizrahi Costume Designer — Adrian Hailwood | Lighting Designer — Jo Kilgour Sound Designer — Thomas Press BAND Keyboard & Répétiteur — Robin Kelly | Guitar & Keyboard — Leon Radojkovic Guitar — Abraham Kunin | Bass — Jonathan Burgess Drums — Tom Broome | Violin 1 — Peau Halapua Violin 2 — Miyo Yoon | Viola — Joseph Harrop Cello —Rachel Wells | Reeds — Scott Thomas Trumpet / Tuned Percussion — Finn Scholes PRODUCTION Production Manager — Robert Hunte | Company Manager — Elaine Walsh Technical Manager — Jamie Blackburn | Venue Technical Manager — Josh Bond Stage Manager — Eliza Josephson-Rutter | Assistant Stage Manager — Chanelle Muirhead Lighting Operator — Rachel Marlow | Sound Operator — Arran Elley Props Master — Amy Snape | Flyman / Mechanist — Mike Keating Vocal Coach — Kirstie O’Sullivan | Black Grace Studios — Abby Ieremia Set Builders — Ella Mizrahi, Julia Croft, Jane Lehtinen, Emma Jeans Amadeus is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS PRODUctION: Paolo Rotondo for translating the Venticelli dialogue, the ATC Ambassadors, Malia Johnston, Mike Mizrahi, Marie Adams, Dan Williams, John Verryt, Whitney Choat, NZ Opera, Black Grace dance studios, Lauren Gunn at Colleen Hair Salon and all the paper donators and paper scrunchers. Amadeus is the third Auckland Theatre Company mainbill production for 2016–2017 and opened on May 4th at ASB Waterfront Theatre. The production is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes including a 20 minute interval. Please remember to switch off all mobile phones, pagers and watch alarms. 2 3 Artistic Director Colin McColl AMADEUS is the third in a conflict between Salieri’s quite original and utterly holy trinity of Peter Shaffer’s recognition of the beauty watchable. Ross of course plays where one man’s envy of Mozart’s music, his inner has a huge reputation in of another man’s passion struggle with the unjustness this country (and abroad) leads to a crisis of faith or of it, and Salieri’s guilt at as a contemporary dancer belief. In The Royal Hunt Of his jealous revenge is at and choreographer so The Sun (1964) Peter Shaffer the very heart of this play. we’re very pleased to pits Spanish explorer The part of Salieri requires be able to offer him his first acting role with this production. It’s interesting The conflict between Salieri’s to note that Tom Hulce, recognition of the beauty of who played Mozart in the film of Amadeus, only just Mozart’s music, his inner struggle won the role over the other with the unjustness of it, and strong contender, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. Salieri’s guilt at his jealous revenge So, two consummate is at the very heart of this play. performers, backed up Delivering star by an extremely talented Francisco Pizarro against an actor at the peak of his ensemble of actors, a the exoticism and cultural powers – so who better director and music director strength of Atahuallpa than Michael Hurst to take who aren’t afraid of taking performances Inca, and in Equus (1973) up the challenge of this a few risks, a top line design child psychiatrist Martin role? Mozart dances to a team led by Ella Mizrahi As a family company, our aspiration is to create great Dysart is disarmed by the different tune – in this play (making her ATC debut with wine so our fans can trust that every bottle they drink religious fervour of his he’s written as infantile, this production) plus ten will deliver a star performance. young patient’s obsession almost an idiot savant, or talented musicians bringing It’s why we are a major supporter of Auckland Theatre with horses. In Amadeus, “on the spectrum” as we’d us a contemporary take on Company and excited to be playing a part in the ASB written in 1979, Court probably say glibly today. Mozart’s music – and you Waterfront Theatre. composer Antonio Salieri Both Oliver and I were have all the elements for rails against God for the delighted with how Ross theatrical magic. I promise genius he has bestowed McCormack approached you, you’re in for a treat. New Zealand’s Most Awarded Winery on the young Mozart. The the role at his audition: 4 5 VM1702-2446_peer_gynt_Programme_Ad.indd 1 23/02/17 3:14 PM Director Oliver Driver Peter Shaffer once giggling buffoon with a potty to make their costumes wrote that he hoped mouth, these are Salieri’s because everything he Amadeus would “enjoy memories, and he is not makes is beautiful. a vigorous life in many always a reliable narrator. I started making theatre different productions”. None of us are when we with Leon a few years ago I have taken that to heart describe people we do not and now seem to work with for it is not my desire to like or fear or are jealous of. him on everything I make. present for you the same I wanted an Amadeus who He’s a genius, and if you production that has been was completely different to are going to ask someone staged in previous years everyone else in the world, to modernize Mozart, you with a different cast. whose natural language better get someone bloody I wanted to give this play was not the spoken word. good. My provocation to a new life not a resurrected Working with Ross has him was to imagine Mozart one. To that end I began by been an absolute pleasure; had access to modern day focusing on just one of the he is an Amadeus in a way instrumentation – how Salieris we meet in the play: and the hardest working might he have presented the 72 year old narrator, performer I have ever met. his music if he played driven mad by hate and For the rest of the cast electric guitar as well as rage and regret. A man I chose four actors who are piano? As always, Leon has who waged a war against chameleon clowns of the exceeded my expectations God, lived to see himself highest order. Rounding and assembled a band that forgotten and who blames out the cast is Madison sound like an orchestra. himself for the death of the Nonoa, an Opera super star I’d also never go anywhere greatest musician of the in the making, playing what without Thomas Press. He 18th Century. An old, broken was originally a silent part. can make a silence sound man who has exiled himself I think you’ll agree it’s much good and is responsible for in his mansion for a year or better the way she does it. everything else you hear more, who shouts all day Ella is a space changer on stage tonight. and cries all night, haunted and a creator of worlds and My thanks also go by his memories. that’s what I wanted for the to Colin for giving me It is this Salieri that set: a world for Salieri to be the opportunity to play fascinated me and my lost within. Because that on this beautiful stage thanks go to Michael for world has ended up almost and the freedom to make crafting him so perfectly; entirely white I needed something special and nobody else could have a lighting designer like strange and unique. played him. I also thought Jo to make it dark again. And finally to the team about who Amadeus might Finally I needed Salieri’s at ATC for helping us in be today, in this age of memories to be bright and every way imaginable, diagnosis. I didn’t want to vivid, a complete contrast it’s nice to come home present him as merely a to his reality, so I got Adrian for a visit. 6 7 Amadeus. by Max Cryer IT IS UNWISE to identify drama as accurately reflecting history. Tradition does not prohibit theatre from presenting real-life characters in dramatic situations which never happened. BBC television showed a spirited exchange between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots – although history is firm that those two never met. The von Trapps escaped Austria boarding a train in daylight – not climbing a mountain at midnight. The real Madame Butterfly (named Kaga Maki) did not commit hara-kiri – she lived up to and beyond the premiere of Puccini’s opera based on her story. Shakespeare presented Cleopatra committing suicide with a snake – but there is no evidence of any kind which reveals how Cleopatra actually died. 8 9 denigrate the younger and and obsessive about the manipulate evilly against younger composer’s him. The older man is genius, Salieri initially History has forced to acknowledge the had the power to promote yawning chasm between Mozart – or instead to his own pedestrian destroy him. Rampant compositions and the jealousy led him to the proven which younger man’s music – latter action. which he acknowledges fills The ruling passions him with “such unfulfillable of the two major figures longing.” And comparing – ambitious envy versus of the two his own composing with inspired talent – remain Mozart’s, he sourly admits: as valid ingredients of “Salieri: Patron Saint of conflict in contemporary composers’ music Mediocrities!” times, regardless of the had the power “ Salieri: Patron Saint of Mediocrities!” Salieri’s obsessive hate circumstance Shaffer of survival.