The Provincetown Theater to Stage AMADEUS This Spring

Genius and jealousy take center stage in Peter Shaffer's award-winning play, "Amadeus". The highly-stylized theater piece follows the re-imagined rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.

Set in Vienna, at the Imperial Austrian court of 1781, the play begins at the end of Salieri's life in 1823. Salieri's bitter recollections take the play back in time to 1781 Vienna, which was considered then the musical capital of the world. Salieri, the influential and reigning court composer, sees Mozart's youth and genius as a great threat and uses everything from slander to poison, to destroy the young composer.

"Amadeus" has been described as "a glittering improvisation on the composer's life." Shaffer himself called the play "a fantasia on Mozartian themes". As a playwright, Shaffer uses symbol and suggestion to, in his words "exercise the imaginative muscle of the audience." The historic premieres of four of Mozart's sublimely beautiful operas advance the play's scenes.

The Provincetown Theater and Artistic Director Tristan DiVincenzo are excited to present James P. Byrne as Salieri with punk rocker and cabaret performer Billy Hough in the title role. Hough has extensive music, film and theater experience including: co-founding the Gold Dust Orphans with Ryan Landry and writing full original scores for eight of the troupe's productions; writing the musical "Insatiable" for Lea DeLaria; film work for directors Stephen Winter and Oren Moverman. Hough continues his cult sensation cabaret act ("Scream Along With Billy") this summer at The Grotta Bar in Provincetown, MA. Filmmaker John Waters called the act "the bravest thing I've seen in twenty years."

"Amadeus" originally premiered at London's National Theatre in 1979 and returned there for a sold-out run in 2016-2017. The play will return for a 2018 run at the National Theatre. "Amadeus" won multiple Olivier Awards, Tony Awards, and Drama Desk Awards before its adaptation to an Academy Award-winning film (adapted by Shaffer and film director Milos Forman).

Additional theatrical background information about Billy Hough can be found at the following link.

"Amadeus" show times are Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, May 25 through June 11. All performances take place at The Provincetown Theater, located at 238 Bradford Street, Provincetown, MA. For tickets and additional information, visit the theater website at www.provincetowntheater.com or call the box office at 508-487-7487.

"AMADEUS" CAST:

James P. Byrne - Antonio Salieri

Billy Hough - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Karen Stewart - Constanz Mozart

Freddy Biddle - Emperor Joseph II of Austria

Emma Brimdyr - Baroness Waldstaden, Ensemble

Calliope Rae Pina-Parker - Katherina Cavalieri

Sean Potter - Baron Van Swieten, Ensemble

Tommy Walsh - Count Orsini-Rosenberg, Ensemble

ARTISTIC STAFF:

Direction and Lighting Design - James P. Byrne

Production Design- Tristan Divincenzo

Costumes - Carol Sherry

Company Manager - Alice Gong

Press - Jo Hull Brisbane

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