Amadeus (Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier)
This was a very solid production, with a few minor quibbles about the two leads. Mozart generally was quite good, but sometimes his enfant terrible act was too much of an act. For instance, when he arrived to hear the Emperor plodding his way through Salieri’s march, Mozart began skipping around the room with a mock-serious look on his face. It reeked of a self-aware episode of “playing to the audience” to get a laugh (which it didn’t succeed in doing). And it took focus away from my favorite sequence in the play.

Salieri was also quite good, a craven, obsessive man. But my problem with him was that I never believed him when he talked of how wonderful Mozart’s music was. He was able to get genuinely passionate about his frustrations and his anger at God. But when it came to his responses to his rival’s music, time and time again, he was very casual, like he was simply reciting a monologue.

Over all, though, this was a very worthwhile production, and as usual I have some pissy little complaints to make. It’s nice to see a performance of a play that reminds you of why you love the play so much.