Amadeus

Rec Room Arts is running Amadeus downtown through October 10, with performances at Rec Room Arts, 100 Jackson Street. It's Peter Shaffer's 1979 play, and if you've only seen the Milos Forman movie, this is a different beast: it's darker and more profane, and it leans harder into the jealousy of the court composer Salieri toward Mozart, who's portrayed here as a boorish, improper figure blessed by God. The story is set in Vienna, and Salieri summons the ghosts of his past to ask why God chose Mozart instead of him. The production bills it as "A confrontation on genius, envy, and the terrible silence of God."

Director Matt Hune has scaled the lavish production down to a simple white box with a revolving piano inside, staged as if inside Salieri's head or tomb. The house seats only 60 people, so you're right on top of the action. The casting is a deliberate part of the production: a transgender woman plays Mozart and several actors play their parts as openly gay, a choice the company frames as speaking directly to Texas and its queer community.

Luis Galindo takes the lead as Antonio Salieri, with Rose Morrigan as Mozart and McKenna Marmolejo as Costanze Mozart. The chorus is filled out by Kendrick 'KayB' Brown, John Dunn, Hanna Frampton, Austin Hanna and Wesley Whitson, and Robert Leslie Meek handles the original music and sound design. The run started September 18 and goes through October 10.

Performances are at 7:30 PM and run about 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for seniors 65 and over, $20 for students, and $30 for those under 30. On Wednesdays, there's a $5 ticket. Single-ticket service and facility fees apply to all, though they're waived for Members, Subscribers and Flex Pass holders.