Briggs Opera House Presents AMADEUS, 10/6

Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS, took Broadway by storm and was later adapted for the screen by Shaffer and director Milos Forman. Now, the original play returns to the stage. Within the intimate confines of the Briggs Opera House, audiences will be thrust into the colorful whirlwind of the Viennese court for an exciting evening of intrigue, comedy and some of the world's most beautiful music.

AMADEUS, directed by Brooke Ciardelli, runs live on stage at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction from October 6-24, 2010. Performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Thursday, Oct. 14. For tickets and information, call 802-296-7000. Tickets are also available through the Northern Stage website, www.northernstage.org.

AMADEUS dramatizes the relationship between the boy genius composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his rival in the Viennese court, Antonio Salieri. When Mozart bursts upon the scene, Salieri is appalled by his irreverent behavior and clearly jealous of his seemingly effortless artistry. At the same time, as renowned as Mozart is today, during his lifetime he struggled to obtain employment; Salieri, with his deep connections and stellar reputation, was in a position to advance the younger man's career-or destroy it. Salieri's choices lead to an astonishing conclusion that audiences will debate long after they have left the theater.

The cast is led by Steven Crossley as Mozart's rival Antonio Salieri. Crossley's distinguished career includes training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and appearances at the Royal National Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic in England and the Folger Theatre and Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, among many others. Local audiences will remember his riveting turn as Andrey Botvinnik in Northern Stage's production of A Walk in the Woods. He is joined by Justin Adams who, like Crossley, trained at the Royal Academy and performed at the Folger. His past roles have ranged from Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Laertes in Hamlet to the title role in Nicholas Nickleby. Broadway veterans William Thomas Evans (Camelot, The Scarlet Pimpernel, A Tale of Two Cities), Nick Stannard (Dracula) and Greg Roderick (South Pacific); the latter played a memorable Harold in Northern Stage's The Full Monty.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.northernstage.org

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.