Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre

Genius and jealousy collide in Folger Theatre's production of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. Richard Clifford (Mary Stuart and The School for Scandal at Folger Theatre), directs the Tony Award-winning "Best Play" set against the backdrop of the opulent salons and opera houses of 18th-century Vienna, examining the rivalry between court composer Antonio Salieri and the boorish but brilliant Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The production features Helen Hayes Award-winner Ian Merrill Peakes (Folger Theatre's Macbeth and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) as the tortured composer Salieri, who finds himself living in the shadow of his musical rival Mozart (Samuel Adams).

Amadeus is on stage from November 5 through December 22, 2019. Tickets are available online at www.folger.edu/theatre or by calling the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.

Antonio Salieri enjoys a comfortable lifestyle as the court composer to Emperor Joseph II. That is, until he meets Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri finds himself mesmerized by Mozart's musical genius, yet appalled by his eccentric behavior. Consumed by bitterness, Salieri, acting as the impulsive prodigy's trusted advisor, does everything in his power to destroy Mozart's reputation and sabotage his success.

"Working on a play that is so rich in text and embellished with such a soundscape comes only rarely outside of opera," says director Richard Clifford. "Mozart's music creates another dimension in Peter Shaffer's masterpiece, where one's emotions are made to work, making the play a visceral piece of theater."

Alongside Ian Merrill Peakes and Samuel Adams, the production also features Justin Adams as Baron van Swieten, Prefect of the Imperial Library, Louis Butelli (last season's Love's Labor's Lost and Macbeth at Folger Theatre) as a Venticello, joined by Amanda Bailey as the other Venticello; Lilli Hokama as Mozart's wife, Constanze Weber; James Joseph O'Neil as Count Orsini-Rosenberg, director of the Imperial Opera; John Taylor Phillips as Emperor Joseph II, Emperor of Austria; and Deidre LaWan Starnes as Madame von Strack, the emperor's chamberlain.

Junior Gomez (Salieri's Valet), Yvonne Paretzky (Teresa Salieri), Ned Read (Kapellmeister Bonno), and Kathryn Zoerb (Katherina Cavalieri) round out the cast.

The design elements of the production, Clifford says, "harmonize with what I feel is the innermost chamber of Salieri's mind-dark, mysterious, and tortured." The creative team of this highly theatrical tale includes four-time Helen Hayes Award-winner Tony Cisek (scenic design), and Mariah Anzaldo Hale (costume design), both of whom last worked with Richard Clifford on Mary Stuart in 2015. Max Doolittle (last season's King John) is the lighting designer, and Baltimore native Sharath Patel is the sound designer.

Janet Alexander Griffin, Folger Theatre's Artistic Producer, says. "Shaffer's depiction of the eccentric genius Mozart fully captures the essence of Folger Theatre's season dedicated to embracing larger-than-life characters. We are delighted to welcome back Richard Clifford to stage this highly theatrical, thrilling, and humorous tale of one of the world's most famous composers. With such an innovative team of designers assembled, and an outstanding cast, led by Folger favorite Ian Merrill Peakes, we aim to captivate audiences with this Viennese story during the holiday season."

Amadeus is on stage at Folger Theatre from November 5 through December 22, 2019. Tickets are $42-$85. Discounted preview performances (starting at $25) and special rates for patrons under 30, students, seniors, members and family of the military, educators, and groups may be purchased through the Folger Theatre Box Office at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/theatre.

Photo Credit: C. Stanley Photography

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Ian Merrill Peakes, John Taylor Phillips, Deidra LaWan Starnes

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Samuel Adams, Lilli Hokama

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Ian Merrill Peakes, Samuel Adams, Deidra LaWan Starnes, left, James Joseph Oâa??a??Neil, and John Taylor Phillips

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Samuel Adams

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Samuel Adams

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
The Court

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Ian Merrill Peakes

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Samuel Adams, Ian Merrill Peakes

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Lilli Hokama, Samuel Adams

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Samuel Adams, Lilli Hokama

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Ian Merrill Peakes, Lilli Hokama

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre
Ian Merrill Peakes, Samuel Adams

Photo Flash: Check Out Photos From Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS at Folger Theatre

Ian Merrill Peakes

Take a peek at a clip of Amadeus cast members speaking about the famed composers and the production:



Cast & Creative Team Set for PASSING STRANGE at Signature Theatre Photo
Signature Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for the musical Passing Strange, with music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald and book & lyrics by Stew.

Review: BEN BUTLER at Washington Stage Guild Photo
BEN BUTLER, a witty and swift-moving play inspired by a pivotal event in the U.S. Civil War, is on stage now through April 16 at the Washington Stage Guild.

Review: R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF ARETHA FRANKLIN at Capital One Hall Photo
The national tour of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - A Celebration of the Music of Aretha Franklin is a tribute fit for The Queen of Soul. It stopped at Capital One Hall on March 22nd, with a lean and streamlined review that made music the priority.

Embracing Arlington Arts Releases 2023 One-Stop Library Of Studies Of Health Benefits Of T Photo
The non-profit organization Embracing Arlington Arts is proud to release its third edition of a one-stop library database of 100 study links providing scientific evidence of the health benefits (both physically and mentally) of various arts genres for every community sector.


More Hot Stories For You


Embracing Arlington Arts Releases 2023 One-Stop Library Of Studies Of Health Benefits Of The ArtsEmbracing Arlington Arts Releases 2023 One-Stop Library Of Studies Of Health Benefits Of The Arts
March 23, 2023

The non-profit organization Embracing Arlington Arts is proud to release its third edition of a one-stop library database of 100 study links providing scientific evidence of the health benefits (both physically and mentally) of various arts genres for every community sector.

Round House Theatre Commissions Works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván & MoreRound House Theatre Commissions Works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván & More
March 22, 2023

Round House Theatre has commissioned works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván, and joint-commissioned Margot Bordelon and Jiehae Park.

Signature Theatre's SIMPLY SONDHEIM Starring Norm Lewis, Solea Pfeiffer & More Re-ReleasedSignature Theatre's SIMPLY SONDHEIM Starring Norm Lewis, Solea Pfeiffer & More Re-Released
March 22, 2023

Signature Theatre is presenting a streaming re-release of its 2021 digital production of Simply Sondheim on March 22 in honor of the late composer’s birthday in continuation of its season-long tribute to Signature’s signature, Stephen Sondheim.

Photos & Video: Get a First Look at SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! at Ford's TheatrePhotos & Video: Get a First Look at SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! at Ford's Theatre
March 22, 2023

Get a first look at photos of the east coast premiere of Shout Sister Shout at Ford's Theatre!

Photos/Video: First Look At Ford's Theatre's SHOUT SISTER SHOUT!Photos/Video: First Look At Ford's Theatre's SHOUT SISTER SHOUT!
March 21, 2023

The Ford's Theatre 2022-2023 season continues with SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! by Cheryl L. West, based off the biography by Gayle F. Wald, production supervised by Sheldon Epps and directed by Kenneth L. Roberson. Check out first look photos below!