Review Roundup: Jefferson Mays-Led AMADEUS at Pasadena Playhouse

Pasadena Playhouse's production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, led by Jefferson Mays, and directed by Tony Award-winner Darko Tresnjak, is running now through Sunday, March 15, 2026. Read the reviews below!

The production stars Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays as Antonio Salieri, alongside Sam Clemmett as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Tony Award-nominee Lauren Worsham as Constanze. The cast also includes Kenajuan Bentley as Van Swieten, Jared Andrew Bybee as Valet/Major-Domo, Jennifer Chang as Venticelli, Matthew Patrick Davis as Joseph II, Michelle Allie Drever as Katherina/Soprano, Alaysha Fox as Teresa Salieri/Soprano, Matthew Henerson as Count Johann Kilian Von Strack, John Lavelle as Orsini-Rosenberg, Brent Schindele as Cook/Kappelmeister/Harpsichordist, and Hilary Ward as Venticelli.

In Amadeus, Salieri recounts his obsession with Mozart, the vulgar young composer whose genius threatens everything Salieri has worked to achieve. The play explores ambition, jealousy, and artistic legacy through Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning drama, which later became the Academy Award-winning film.

The creative team features scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Linda Cho, hair/wig/makeup design by Will Vicari, lighting design by Pablo Santiago, sound design by Jane Shaw, projection design by Aaron Rhyne, and intimacy consulting by Sasha Nicolle Smith. David S. Franklin serves as Production Stage Manager, with Alyssa Escalante as Assistant Stage Manager. Casting is by Ryan Bernard Tymensky, CSA.

Chris Willman, Variety: Mays is giving the kind of singular performance that we all go to the theater for and remember in years to come. It’s a portrayal that sits right at the intersection of ridiculously flamboyant, allowing us to stew, at leisure, in someone else’s juices for a bitter yet delicious two hours and 45 minutes. 

Andrew Child, BroadwayWorld: Amadeus is certainly worth the price of admission to see world-class designs and hear world-class performances of a well-loved play. It is entertaining, beautifully-crafted, and anchored by an excellent leading performance.

Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times: Mays’ portrayal is fiendishly complex. (I can’t imagine anyone topping his interpretation of the character even with all the illustrious past precedent.) There’s not a layer that has gone unexcavated in a performance of extraordinary verbal facility and color. “Amadeus” relies heavy on monologues, and Mays is not only a crack ensemble player but also a master soloist.

Natalia Rose, Colorado Boulevard: The use of space was exceptional. The set and projections, designed by Alexander Dodge and Aaron Rhyne, made my jaw drop on numerous occasions, displaying not only what was necessary to see, but also what felt transcendental. The foundational set suggested a grand red royal hall, formed by two large sloping flats painted to create forced perspective. Above, an open space allowed projections, shifting light and dreamlike imagery, to introduce an otherworldly dimension within an otherwise period-accurate world.

Elaine Mura, Splash Magazine: AMADEUS is brilliantly helmed by Tresnjiak. With the abundant talent and skill offered by Mays, the two create a complex, fascinating, and intriguing picture of the long-ago rivalry and Salieri’s evil plan (largely fictional) to destroy the man he envies so, all the while presenting himself as Mozart’s friend and supporter. The gifted cast makes each character his own with casual skill, and the song and dance (lifted from some of Mozart’s works) are splendid and worthy of praise.

Shari Barrett, Garden Valley News: I am happy to report that the magnificent AMADEUS production at The Pasadena Playhouse more than fills the bill, directed will great skill and precision by Tony Award-winner Darko Tresnjak, starring the always awe-inspiring Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays as Salieri and Broadway veteran Sam Clemmett as Mozart, each giving tour-de-force performances. Their often-over-the-top interactions, as well as their soliloquies which are frequently delivered directly to the audience, will pull you in from moment-to-moment as the two composers’ musical brilliance and lifestyle differences come head-to-head. 

Edward Hong, The Nerds of Color: My Immediate impressions were strong once the play starts kicks off in high gear as director Darko Tresnjak weaved an immaculate world with an extraordinary creative team and Jefferson Mays commanding so much presence on stage despite starting off in his character Salieri’s older and decrepit self. The set design from Alexander Dodge was absolutely breathtaking and throughout the entire performance, I kept admiring the three dimensional effect of the royal hallways and the beautiful set pieces coupled with the gorgeous lighting design from Pablo Santiago.