The Cast Photo by Michael Brosilow

The staging in the round in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater is quite minimal. Todd Rosenthal's scenic design is largely confined to the creation of a red-curtained box for the Emperor at the top of the audience on one end of the stage, and a detailed ceiling over the main stage itself. With its chandeliers and ornate painting of Christ, this suggests the great houses of the privileged citizens of Vienna and the rehearsal hall of the opera. But with its partially shattered windows and dilapidated curls of peeling paint that are always just visible, it also serves to represent Mozart's steadily declining circumstances, and ultimately Salieri's madness. Other than this, the set comprises a filthy bed to bookend the story and a piano that serves just as much as another level of the stage as it does an instrument.

Falls has adopted an active blocking scheme that uses all of the entrances, including those that descend through the aisles between banks of seats. This not only underscores the conceit that Salieri is presenting his own cautionary tale to the sea of mediocrity the audience represents, it captures the frantic, petty buzz of the court. None of this would be as sharp and effective as it is without the momentum of Connor Wang's sound design and Eric Southern's lighting.

But it's Amanda Gladu's costumes that carry the production's striking visuals. Immediately, Gladu establishes the show vibes with Salieri's Venticelli, who sport corseted catsuits with flowing coats that acknowledge but color outside the lines of period dress. Gladu then embodies the stodgy, formal Vienna society in which Salieri has risen to prominence via the powerful male characters at court. The details of the costumes for each distinguish them as individuals, and yet there is a meticulous sameness that is just as absurd in its way as the acid green suits and carrot orange wigs of the ensemble of male citizens of Vienna. Gladu blends conformity and change with particular skill in the costumes of the women of Vienna, including Salieri's star pupil, Katherina Cavalieri.

In the costuming for Mozart and his wife Constanze, Gladu fleshes out the story of the rise and fall of the phenom through the eyes of Salieri. The vibrant, effusive vibe of Constanze's ensemble through the first act is a visual touchstone for the sprawling, flowering creativity Mozart brings to the court, and the shapeless neutrals Gladu has chosen for the second act when Constanze walks away from the despair her husband's impulsivity has led them to are heartbreaking. Even more fascinating is the way that Gladu uses clashing colors and garish, glossy fabrics in conjunction with Mozart's frenetic character to continually draw focus toward him, leaving Salieri to wrench the audience's attention back to what is supposed to be his own story.

Barford's performance as Salieri is remarkable. Without ever losing sight of the play's dark, mannered humor, he leans into the character's anguish. There's surely a temptation to carve a relatively simple psychological path that fixates on Mozart himself, but Barford and Falls choose the more challenging and interesting road that transcends personal insecurity to genuinely explore the deep spiritual crisis Salieri undergoes.

As Mozart, David Darrow's frenzied approach sits at productively odd angles to Barford's performance. Shaffer is, of course, far more interested in Salieri, so the character of his rival is somewhat underwritten and can easily lapse into something that is one note. Darrow, however, shows a sure instinct for seeking out and playing the moments of depth regarding the man Mozart might have grown into if time and circumstances had permitted it. It's also to Darrow's credit that he allows Mozart to be intensely grating, swaying the audience's sympathy toward Salieri (and later, Constanze), yet trusting that the music and the subtler aspects of his performance will never entirely lose that sympathy.

As Constanze, Jaye Ladymore is appealing in the confidence and modern flair she infuses into the character. The text of the play risks reducing the character to a passive victim, but even at Constanze's most desperate, Ladymore achieves something more complex and interesting.

In the supporting cast, Gregory Linington is a cheerfully dimwitted Joseph II. Linington hits every comedic beat with impeccable timing while maintaining a short-tempered, imperious demeanor that reminds the audience of the rigid strictures and shifting winds all of the creatives live under.

Yasen Peyankov (Baron Gottfried van Swieten), John Lister (Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg), and Joey Slotnick (Count Johann Kilian von Strack) form an engaging trio representing the various professional and social forces that figure into the dynamic between Mozart and Salieri. Their more active roles as spokes in the wheel of artistic and cultural growth are wonderfully balanced by Robert Breuler's practically comatose (and practically immortal) Kapellmeister Giuseppe Bonno.

Finally, Ora Jones and Sawyer Smith offer delicious, spine tingling performances as s Venticelli 1 and 2, respectively. These roles clearly could lapse into pure functionality, but Jones and Smith serve as powerful figures that provide an electrical charge to the entire story.

Amadeus has been extended through January 25, 2025, at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted Street, Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit steppenwolf.org or call 312-335-1650.