Center Stage Sets AMADEUS Preshow Activities

The lobby of Center Stage will be transformed into the Royal Court of Vienna for an immersive preshow experience during the production run of Amadeus, from Sept. 18 to Oct. 12.

As part of Center Stage's initiative to create an engaging theater experience, an 18th Century-inspired lobby designed by Baltimore-born Amadeus set designer Timothy R. Mackabee will be the setting for preshow live music performances, ensemble members getting ready in a courtier vanity room, and a commissioned video of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Music Director Marin Alsop talking about the music of Mozart, "Exploring Genius," in Center Stage's digital lobby gallery.

Every preshow will have live music, with a combination of cast members and Peabody Institute musicians playing 18th Century music. Cast preshow performers will include Natanya Washer (Katerina Cavalieri), a Peabody Institute-trained soprano, and Stanton Nash (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), who is a classically trained pianist.

Amadeus opens Center Stage's music-filled 2014-15 Season, which culminates with the world premiere musical based on Bob Marley's life and music and written by Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah.

"Amadeus is going to start our Season with brilliant style," Kwei-Armah says. "It's a rich, multi-layered drama that still has as much power as it did when it opened more than 20 years ago, and in the current culture that has everyone scrambling to distinguish themselves, the themes of mediocrity versus genius have never been more salient."

Written by famed playwright Peter Shaffer (Equus), Amadeus is a tale of confronting one's genius - or lack thereof. Antonio Salieri, Composer to the Court of Vienna, swears revenge when he is upstaged by the brilliance of a composer named Mozart. Amadeus was awarded the Best Play Tony in 1981, and the iconic 1984 film adaptation won a total of eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Set Designer Timothy R. Mackabee makes his homecoming with this production, having grown up attending Center Stage productions. Mackabee and Kwei-Armah previously collaborated on The Public Theater's 2013 production of Much Ado About Nothing, and Mackabee will be the set designer for the upcoming Broadway production of The Elephant Man with Bradley Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. Additionally, Choreographer Paloma McGregor, a protégé of MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and Center Stage collaborator Liz Lerman, returns after serving as associate choreographer for last season's A Civil War Christmas.

"The scale of our production is notable," Managing Director Stephen Richard says. "The cast is one of the largest we've assembled in several seasons, and we will be using every entrance and exit in the Pearlstone for the first time in many years. We're also very excited about this world that Timothy and Kwame are creating for the pre-show experience, and once the start of the run approaches we look forward to unveiling the entirety of that element."

Amadeus marks the return of Baltimore Magazine's 2014 "Best Actor" Bruce Nelson. Nelson, who previously portrayed Groucho Marx in Animal Crackers and Edgar Allen Poe in The Completely Fictional - Utterly True - Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allen Poe at Center Stage, steps into the role of another historical figure, Antonio Salieri. Nash, who appeared in the Chicago production of Wicked as Boq, makes his Center Stage debut in the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Joining them as Theresa Salieri is Yvonne Erickson, who recently starred in the Rep Stage production of A Young Lady of Property.

Two members of the company make triumphant returns to Center Stage. After appearing in Bus Stop, Kayla Ferguson comes to Amadeus as Constanze Weber. Additionally, James Joseph O'Neill of King Lear and She Stoops to Conquer returns as Baron van Sweiten. Lyric soprano Natanya Washer, a presence at the Peabody Opera Theater, makes her Center Stage debut as Katerina Cavalieri. Venticello Jay Russell also comes to Center Stage for the first time after roles on television's Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos.

Four Broadway veterans join Center Stage. Kevin Orton, who portrayed one of the Venticello in the Tony-nominated 2000 Broadway revival of Amadeus, returns to the work as Emperor Joseph II. A Venticello in the Center Stage production, Lucia Spina, previously appeared in works such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde: The Musical and Kinky Boots. Gannon McHale of James Joyce's the Dead and Stephen Spielberg's Academy Award winning Lincoln joins as Count Von Strack. Finally, after a turn in the 2007 revival of Inherit the Wind, Steve Brady steps into the role of Count Orsini.

The company also includes an ensemble of nine actors, many of whom share connections with the Baltimore and Center Stage communities.

Amadeus, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, begins previews Wednesday, Sept. 10. The show officially opens Wednesday, Sept. 17, and closes Sunday, Oct. 12. Tickets, which are now on sale, start at $19 and can be purchased by calling 410.332.0033 or by visiting www.centerstage.org.

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