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Austrian court composer Antonio Salieri is horrified to discover that the godlike musical gifts he desires for himself have been bestowed upon a rowdy young prodigy — one of the greatest composers of all time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Awestruck by his genius and seized with obsessive envy, Salieri begins a war with Mozart, with music, and ultimately, with God. CMU’s first production in the brand new Asteria Theatre is an award-winning parable about malice, madness and the love of music.

Sponsored by Juli Jacobon Realty

Director's Note

Mo LaMee

Welcome to the Asteria Theatre at CMU! The theatre arts faculty, staff, designers, technicians, cast and crew are privileged to bring you Amadeus as the first production in our beautiful new venue. We are grateful for the leadership of President Marshall, the State of Colorado, Semple Brown, Shaw Construction, the numerous engineers and consultants, and the hundreds of contractors and workers who built the Asteria in record-setting time. For the performing arts community, the Asteria is a dream come true!

It is quite possible that the real-life Antonio Salieri, the esteemed court composer of Emperor Joseph of Austria and contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was disturbed by the accusation that he assassinated Mozart. The rumor of Salieri’s distress is supported by a diary entry of a friend who visited him after Salieri attempted suicide late in his life. Mozart and Salieri were well acquainted, and many of the events depicted in Amadeus are known to be factually accurate. However, playwright Peter Shaffer amplifies the rumor of rivalry between the two composers into a cautionary tale to explore themes of envy, ambition, artistry and betrayal while creating one of the most memorable fictional characters of the theatre in the Salieri of Amadeus.

A Christmas Carol by Dickens was written in 1843, less than twenty years after the real Salieri’s death. What fun it is to see Ben Reigel, who played the fictional Scrooge (and all the other characters) in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol a few years ago, now play Salieri in Amadeus. Scrooge and Salieri each begin their respective tales alone and embittered — haunted by the past, present and future. Perhaps you will be moved by Scrooge’s and Salieri’s inverse journeys. Perhaps you will derive wisdom from their choices during their climactic encounters with themselves. Perhaps you will be blessed to choose your perspective wisely.

Dear friends, chers amis, amici cari, enjoy the show!

Cast Members

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