A show about a musical genius with some moments of musical theatre genius of its own
Saving Mozart, a new musical written by Charli Eglinton, tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from his time as a young boy through to the creation of some of music’s great works and his untimely death. This production, currently showing at The Other Palace, showcases some of the best musical theatre numbers I’ve seen on stage, despite a few minor flaws.
The cast delivers really strong performances all around, with not a single weak link. Jack Chambers is excellent in the lead role as Mozart. He’s supported exceptionally well by Aimie Atkinson as his sister, Nannerl, in the first act. It’s a shame she doesn’t appear as much in the second act, but her absence is more than compensated for by the wonderful performance and exceptional energy of Erin Caldwell as Constanze. Jordan Luke Gage, playing Mozart’s rival Antonio Salieri, is clearly a talented vocalist. However, his character is given scant to do, and while the two songs he performs are a great showcase for his vocal talents, they feel excessive for a character who otherwise doesn’t have much stage time.
Julia Pschdezki’s costumes are varied and interesting. The very best costumes are worn by Gloria Onitiri, who plays Mozart’s mother in the first act and Cecilia in the second. In the first act, her character wears a delightfully intricate pinstripe suit with a skirt and bustle, reminiscent of Thom Browne. In the second, she sports a fabulous Vivienne Westwood-esque look. All of the costumes are strong and detailed and a joy to look at.
This show features some of my favorite musical theatre numbers I’ve seen on stage. The two numbers that straddle the interval, “Because Of You / Move On” and “Listen To Me,” are particularly exceptional. The choreography by Taylor Walker is excellent, especially in these moments, and is at times reminiscent of Hamilton, which is certainly not a bad thing.
However, a few numbers didn’t quite work for me in the context of the rest of the show. The most noticeable example is “He’s Only A Child,” in which Mozart’s mother pleads with his father to slow down for the young Mozart, who is suffering from a fever. The high emotion in this song feels unearned, as the fever is introduced only moments before the song begins and then completely disappears the second it ends.
A concept album is available on Spotify with some of the songs from the show, but I dearly hope this production has the strong future it deserves so that a full cast recording can be made available. While it may not be a perfect show throughout, it does contain moments of musical theatre perfection that I highly recommend.
Saving Mozart is playing at The Other Palace until August 30th.