MEDIA CONTACT:  Julia Guzman, Public Relations Manager, Asolo Repertory Theatre,(941) 351-9010 ext. 4800, julia_guzman@asolo.org or visit the pressroom at www.asolo.org

 

 

Synopsis: Winner of a Tony Award for Best Play, an Oscar for Best Movie, and extremely successful in revivals in the West End and on Broadway, this provocative work weaves a confrontation between mediocrity and genius into a tale of breathtaking dramatic power. In Vienna, on the last night of his life, composer Antonio Salieri addresses the “ghosts of the distant future.” As he unfolds his greatest secrets to them, the play moves more than 30 years into the past to show the relationship between Salieri and his greatest musical rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri had vowed in his youth to serve God virtuously, if God would only allow him to be a great composer. But watching Mozart rise to acclaim in Vienna, and jealous that God’s voice was issuing through his adversary and not himself, Salieri grew corrupt. His purpose in life became to block God’s influence at every turn by blocking Mozart any way he could. When Mozart was finally driven to his death, Salieri believed that success was his, only to find that killing the man did not kill his music, and could not kill his fame.

Salieri is played by Bryan Torfeh and Mozart by Colby Chambers. Both are guest artists with Asolo Rep this season and will also perform in The Plexiglass Slipper. 

Torfeh’s work includes seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, notably Nicholas Nickleby (U.K. and Broadway) and the American premiere of Tom Stoppard's Hapgood, in which he stepped in to the role of Kerner. West End roles include George, High Society; Mr. Sowerberry, Sam Mendes' Oliver!; Rico, Copacabana; the title role in an adaptation of Mozart's Figaro; and three years with the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Roles in the U.S. include Jack, The Importance of Being Earnest (Indiana Rep); Salieri, Amadeus (Indiana Rep and Syracuse Stage); the twin Antipholi, The Comedy of Errors; the King, Loves Labour's Lost; and the Prince, Kean (Shakespeare Santa Cruz). He was Director of Drama at JakartaInternationalSchool in Indonesia from'90 to '92, and Course Tutor at Drama Studio London. He directed the first production at Stratford-upon-Avon's Waterside Theatre, and London's first professional all-female Shakespeare. Screen work includes This is Dom Joly (BBC) and the film Velvet Goldmine. He holds degrees from UCSC and London's GuildhallSchool of Music & Drama.

Chambers most recently completed the off-Broadway hit Dog Sees God (dir. Trip Cullman). Other New York and regional credits include Floyd Collins at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore at Friendly Fire. He has worked with Michael Grief at The Sundance Theater Lab on John Kelly's Paradise Project and at New York Theater Workshop on Kira Obolensky’s Modern House. Television credits include Guiding Light. Colby is a 2005 graduate of Juilliard. He thanks his Mom, Dad, Darrin, Kate, and Keith for their love and support. 

Other cast: Mia Bankston, David Breitbarth, Tony Bullock, James Clarke, Shane Ferriera, Alix McEachern Jones, Troy Lewis, Brad Makarowski, Paul Molnar, Richard Pell, Sam Peterson, Joshua Rowan, SaRa Schabach, Jaime Tintor, Jenn Walker, and Leigh Ann Wuest.

Creative Team:

 

 

 

The Miracle of Mozart on Wednesday, November 29, at 10:30 am. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Mozart through a special cooperative program with the Ringling Museum of Art. Dr. Judith Alstadter, concert pianist and music educator, will explore the works of Mozart at 10:30 a.m. in the Historic Asolo Theater. Enjoy lunch at Treviso in the new Visitor Pavilion and a matinee of Asolo Rep’s opulent production, Amadeus. Call the Box Office for more information.

Lunch with Leif on Thursday, December 7 at noon. Join Leif Bjaland, artistic director and conductor of the Florida West Coast Symphony for a lunch and discussion of Mozart’s life and works in the lobby mezzanine before the 2 pm performance of Amadeus. Call the Box Office for more information.

Tickets: Prices vary from $18 to $53 depending on day, time and seat location. Children under 12 are half price. Group rates and special discounts are available; single tickets, money saving subscriptions, the $25 student pass and the $99 play pass are now on sale.  Special event pricing varies. Purchase tickets in person at the Asolo Rep Box Office or by calling 941-351-8000, 800-361-8388, or online at www.asolo.org.

Where: Asolo Repertory Theatre performs primarily in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre located at 5555 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, Florida (across from the RinglingMuseum).

About the Playwright: Peter Shaffer was born in Liverpool, England, on May 15, 1926, along with his twin brother, Anthony. Shaffer studied history on a scholarship from CambridgeUniversity, and worked a number of odd jobs, including coal miner, bookstore clerk, and assistant at the New York Public Library. Shaffer's first play, The Salt Land (1954) was presented on the BBC. Shaffer continued to write and established his reputation as a playwright in 1958 with the production of Five Finger Exercise, which opened in London under the direction of John Gielgud and won the Evening Standard Drama Award. Five Finger Exercises moved to New York in 1959, and was equally well-received, landing Shaffer the Drama Critics Award. His other works include The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964) and Black Comedy (1965).

Equus (1973) won Shaffer the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play, as well as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Shaffer followed this success with Amadeus (1979) which won the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Theatre Critics Award for the London production. When the show moved to Broadway, it won the 1981 Tony Award for "Best Play" and, like Equus, ran for over 1000 performances.

Several of Shaffer's plays have been adapted to film, including The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969), Equus (1977), and Amadeus (1984) which won eight Academy Awards including "Best Picture". (Courtesy of http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc69.html)

 

 

 

Asolo Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Funding is also received through efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Rep Guild, the Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations