Mozart and Saliery

Mozart & Salieri
One of Alicia Smith's Stream of Consciousness (Rambling) Reviews.


The Blue Room Theatre


Opera West & The Naked Emotion Ensemble


An Opera by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov
A Play by Alexander Pushkin


This is the first production I have seen at the Blue Room and boy,
(and girl) is it a beauty. A couple of notes. The Blue Room's Bar's mural
is worth getting there early just to appreciate all the sight gags
and famous faces in it. So is the fact that they serve Little Creatures.


Also with your ticket, you should get a pamphlet which directs you to
various well known Northbridge establishments. I used my ticket to
obtain $6:00 coffee and cake at Vulture's afterwards. Lovely end to the
Northbridge part of the evening. The rest of the evening was spent in
writing this review.


This production got a rave review by the West Australian, and when I went to
Saturday the 23/11/02's production I can quite see why. What an
extraordinary production!


Tricia Walmsley played (keyboard) beautifully throughout both halves of the
performance, making such a complex tapestry both of play and operetta
a seamless, perfect whole. When Mozart was 'playing',(in each case)
the depth of feeling and perception of his emotion was portrayed very
strongly by Walmsley's artistry, the whole audience was caught up in it.
Lovely playing.


Solid sound operation from the ever versatile amazing director David
Meadows. This must have been something of a nightmare to direct, what
with 2 Salieris and 2 Mozarts and singing and acting limited time and
everything, but what an excellent production. How does he do it? I've
not been disappointed by Mr Meadows yet and I'm looking forward to
seeing his next offering.


Actually I'm starting to think watching *traffic* directed by David
Meadows would be riveting.


I was very impressed at Fiona Reid's lighting. I can't think of where I
have seen more subtle and perfectly timed gradual fades, beautifully done,
terrific work all round there with the lighting. Watch Salieri during
the play part of the production, during the playing of the Requiem. Very
appropriate and well executed. Well done Fiona.


Shirley Welch & David Meadows have combined their various talents and
skills to bring us a deceptively simple set (although how simple can
it be to get all that sheet music to stay firmly where it is I don't know,
*I* wouldn't have liked to do it!)


The complex wallpapering against the frugal but ornate furnishing was
a great touch (and possibly with just a little irony thrown in there
considering Salieri's obsession).


Well oiled scene changes, very smoothly done folks!


Actually, there were wonderful touches of irony all through the production,
Mozart without knowing it, and Salieri knowing all too well!


The acting from all performers, singers and non-singers alike, was great!
The Blue Room is pretty small, so we had no trouble hearing anyone, but
everyone's projection would have done justice to a large hall or even an
outdoor production.


And it is quite an experience seeing the performances back to back across
an hour. It's hard to quite believe that so much can happen in such a
short time. It gives us a faceted view of the events that are
portrayed, and seeing the play gives us greater accessibility to the
operetta, with enough contrast not to feel that we are getting a rerun.
Feel this way, and then this way. Quite an uncanny sensation, but
very, very interesting.


The production starts with the play, with expressive
performances from Michael Heap as Salieri and Paul Whitely as
Mozart, well timed and beautifully finished.


Michael depicts a man eaten to the core with jealousy, a man who can't
quite believe what he is doing but is doing it nonetheless, for what he
is desperately trying to convince himself is a good cause. This Salieri
we can't take our eyes off. It's a difficult role but you wouldn't think
it, you'd think it was happening for real. Excellent performance.


Paul Whitely's Mozart you have to sympathise with, happy and fun loving,
struck with passion and talent he can't help. Even his little stunt
with the pathetic blind violinist smacks more of innocent fun than cruelty
to the violinist. Amanda Chesterton plays this part as beautifully and with
touching pathos as the violin is played...er...not so beautifully.


And then it's over...and .... then - music!


(For the theatre buffs, you know me, I come to plays, I write reviews,
I "did" literature at high school. I also "did" music at school but
realised in year 10 I really didn't have the reach for clarinet.
But I can still recognise a treble clef from a bass and the only radio
station I listen to regularly is ABC Classical, so I can talk about
these things with appreciation, if not with strictly technical authority.)


Now, some people have a problem with opera. Look, it's alright, it is in
English, and is mostly very impressive and rapid conversations or
soliloquies that just happen to be sung. Sung very well.


With a dark chocolate voice for Salieri for the production that
I've just seen and and a golden honey voice for Mozart, Mark Blades
and Kingsley Judd do fine justice to really quite a wonderful translation.
And these people are acting as well, they really do put life into their
characters, they are not 'just' singing they are acting hard every inch
of the way and it is just a joy to watch as well as listen.


We were swept up and carried away.


They magnify the characters we've met in the previous half hour and turn
them into archetypes. (Goodness, I must be turning into a serious reviewer,
I've just used 'archetypes' in an earnest sentence. Either that or I shouldn't
drink Little Creatures before a review.)


A fine duality of performances and I can't believe so much happened in so
short a time.


Thank you to all the cast and crew, I enjoyed myself thoroughly.