Amadeus by Peter Shaffer
Cinnabar Theatre, Petaluma
Runs through April 15, 2018

In Latin, “amadeus” means “God’s love” or “loved by God,” an apt name for an individual whose protean gift of music could well be construed as a divine blessing, such as one Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There is no Latin coinage for the person whose gift is admirable, but, well, not as brilliant. Could this describe Antonio Salieri, the 18th century composer who was much celebrated in his day but whose music faded into obscurity shortly after his death? Peter Shaffer, the British playwright of Equus fame, doesn’t really care if you’ve ever heard of Salieri, and isn’t really interested in promoting his music. He wants you to muse on something deeper, something more universal in the human condition. Cinnabar Theater’s production of this Tony-winning play brings together some excellent acting to do Shaffer’s play justice.

We first meet Salieri (Richard Pallaziol) in 1825 as an ailing old man, ready to end his earthly existence. …

To continue reading about this production, see my Talkin’Broadway.com review:
Amadeus