Photo Flash: AMADEUS At The Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) begins its 2009-2010 Mainstage series with Peter Shaffer's towering story of betrayal, guilt, genius and heavenly music, Amadeus.

Performances of Amadeus will be given on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, September 9-October 4, 2009.

Curtain times are Tuesday at 7 pm; Wednesday-Friday at 8 pm; selected Wednesday matinees at 1:30 pm; Saturday evenings at 5 pm; selected Saturday nights at 9 pm; Sunday matinees at 2 pm; and selected Sunday evenings at 7 pm.

Ticket prices start at just $15. To purchase, visit The Rep Box Office, located inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, charge by phone by calling (314) 968-4925, or visit The Rep's online box office at www.repstl.org.

The Rep's production of Amadeus is sponsored by The Mary Ranken Jordan and Ettie A. Jordan Charitable Foundation.

Amadeus brings the audience into the tumultuous lives of a young prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and his obsessively jealous rival, Viennese court composer Antonio Salieri.

Overcome by jealousy of Mozart's seemingly effortless skill at composing unfathomably beautiful music, Salieri believes God has bestowed genius upon an "unmannered fool" and sets out to destroy his rival and take revenge upon an uncaring God.

In Peter Shaffer's story of faith and genius-loosely based on the intertwining real lives of Salieri and Mozart-Salieri begins by making the outrageous claim that he may have killed the greatest composer ever known. Or is the possibility that outrageous after all?

Upon their meeting, Salieri is initially curious about the highly-praised prodigy, then appalled by his vulgar, infantile, boastful behavior. Finally, he is shocked by the brilliance of Mozart's music.

Poisoned by his own envy and bitterness, Salieri decides to get revenge on a God who would make "an obscene child" His musical conduit on Earth and yet give Salieri just enough talent to be the only one to appreciate Mozart's genius.

In fighting his battle with God, however, Salieri destroys both himself and Mozart.

By turns tender and tragic, Amadeus combines intrigue, suspense, comedy, and passion with some of the most stirring music ever written.

The cast of Amadeus at The Rep is Craig Baldwin and Michael Dean Morgan as the Venticelli; Andrew Long as Antonio Salieri; Jeffrey Hayenga as Count Johann Kilian von Strack; Richmond Hoxie as Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg; Walter Hudson as Baron Gottfried van Swieten; ElizaBeth Stanley as Constanze Weber; Jim Poulos as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and Joe Hickey as Emperor Joseph II. The ensemble includes Jenn Bock, Jon Breeden, Joseph Garner, Cale Haupert, Khnemu Menu-Ra, Michael Monsey, Maggie Murphy, Michael Perkins and BrIan White.

Amadeus is directed by Paul Mason Barnes, who directed last season's Saint Joan and 2005's Stones in His Pockets on the Mainstage and 2006's Shakespeare's R&J in the Off-Ramp series.

The creative staff also includes Bill Clarke, scenic designer; Dorothy Marshall Englis, costume designer; Peter E. Sargent, lighting designer; Rusty Wandall, sound designer; Henry Palkes, music supervisor; Glenn Dunn, stage manager; and Shannon B. Sturgis, assistant stage manager.

Playwright Peter Shaffer's first play, The Salt Land, was written in 1951 and produced for television in 1955. Subsequently, his comedy The Prodigal Father was produced on radio and a thrilling Balance of Terror was televised. His play, Five Finger Exercise, was directed by John Gielgud at the Comedy Theatre in 1958, transferred to New York in 1959, and was followed by a film version in 1962. The Private Ear and The Public Eye, two comedies with Maggie Smith, were staged as a double bill at The Globe Theatre in 1962; they were also the first plays produced by the Loretto-Hilton Repertory Company (now The Rep) in 1966.

Peter Shaffer's other plays include Black Comedy, White Lies (also reworked into White Liars), The Battle of Shrivings and the award-winning Equus, first produced by the National Theatre at the Old Vic, and then in the West End and on Broadway, where it ran for over 1,200 performances.

Amadeus opened at the National Theatre in 1979 (before transferring to the West End), and on Broadway in 1980 (running for over 1,000 performances and receiving five Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, including both for Best Play). The 1984 film adaptation received eight Academy Awards.

For more information about The Rep's production of Amadeus, including a guide introducing the characters, plot and background on the play; photos and video related to the production; and more, visit The Rep's comprehensive public website at www.repstl.org.

Founded in 1966, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a fully professional theatrical operation belonging to the League of Resident Theatres, The League of St. Louis Theatres and is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Inc., the national service organization for the not-for-profit professional theatre. It operates independently of, but under a mutually beneficial agreement with, Webster University. The Rep operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The Rep hires directors and choreographers who are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and stagehands who are members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Financial assistance for this theatre has been provided by the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis; the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The Rep is also grateful for support by more than 1,100 generous individuals, families, corporations and foundations throughout the communities we serve. Thank you.

Photo Credit: Lon Brauer