Great works of art about historical figures often overshadow the actual people behind the mythology. When it comes to biographical details, only ardent history buffs can readily separate England’s King Richard III from Shakespeare’s scheming villain, or distinguish between America’s first treasury secretary and the firebrand protagonist of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.” Similarly, Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play “Amadeus” and Miloš Forman’s 1984 film adaptation have indelibly shaped public memory of 18th century composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri — who, in Shaffer’s fictional account, are respectively portrayed as an infantile genius and his embittered rival.
In a new production opening at Steppenwolf Theatre in November, ensemble member Ian Barford (an original cast member of Tracy Letts’ “August: Osage County”) takes on the role of Salieri, the tormented narrator of “Amadeus.” Making his Chicago debut as Mozart is David Darrow, who spent his early career at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and recently earned a master’s degree in acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Tony Award-winning director Robert Falls, the Goodman Theatre’s longtime artistic director who retired in 2022, helms the production in his Steppenwolf debut. Falls steps in for Anna D. Shapiro, who is taking a leave from artistic projects for health reasons.
Following its world premiere at London’s National Theatre and a transfer to the West End, “Amadeus” opened on Broadway in 1980, where it ran for nearly three years and won five Tony Awards. Forman’s film version was a hit both at the box office and on the awards circuit, winning eight Academy Awards. A new TV adaptation of the enduringly popular title will premiere on Sky this December, starring Paul Bettany as Salieri and Will Sharpe as Mozart.
“It’s certainly one of the most successful plays of the past 50-plus years,” Falls said in an interview with the Tribune. “What I’m finding really remarkable about it is just the boldness of the theatrical vision of the writer, Peter Shaffer, who just goes for it. It’s operatic in its emotions. It’s about opera; it’s about music; it’s about bigger-than-life personalities.”
The curtain rises in 1823 Vienna, where rumors swirl that the elderly Italian composer Salieri has confessed to murdering Mozart more than three decades ago. Conjuring as his confessors the “Ghosts of the distant Future,” or his present-day audience, Salieri relates his tale on what he anticipates will be the final night of his life. Flashing back to 1781, his younger self — a pious Catholic and prolific composer in the Habsburg court — has a fateful first meeting with Mozart, a former child prodigy now grown into one of Europe’s hottest young composers. Thus begins an epic tragedy of ambition and envy, faith and doubt, mortality and music.
In preparation for Steppenwolf’s production, Falls joined Barford on a research trip to visit Vienna and Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace. Together, they toured some of the play’s historical settings, such as Schönbrunn Palace (the Habsburgs’ imperial summer residence) and several theaters where Mozart performed or premiered his music.
“We were able to hear some great concerts, absorb some of the actual places,” said Barford. “There are a couple of scenes in the play that now, when I play them, I have a reference in my memory because I was there.”
For his role as Mozart, Darrow’s research involved extensive reading, including many of the composer’s personal letters. While Shaffer draws directly on these letters in the play’s dialogue, the writer takes significant artistic liberties, Darrow noted.
“It turns out, with both of these characters, the historical version is quite different. (Mozart) was beloved in his life — by the public, anyway — in a way that doesn’t quite make it into this play.”
In Shaffer’s version, Salieri is the only person who truly recognizes Mozart’s talent, prompting him to question why God would choose such a vulgar vessel, rather than a faithful servant like himself, for this divine gift. In several of Shaffer’s most beautiful passages, Salieri eloquently describes the experience of listening to Mozart’s music in real time.
“He is able to articulate the transcendence of Mozart’s genius in a very poetic and seemingly accurate way,” said Barford. “He really does see it perfectly.”
The play prominently features excerpts of Mozart’s chamber works, operas and Requiem. “The Mozart music really is another character in the play,” said Falls. He also remarked on the popularity of the movie’s original soundtrack, which was a bestseller and won the Grammy Award for best classical album. “I have met so many people (who said) that the movie really ignited their interest in classical music, specifically in Mozart.”
Performed in Steppenwolf’s newer in-the-round theater, this production complements Mozart’s music (which is pre-recorded) with original scoring by Mikhail Fiksel, one of Chicago’s leading theatrical composers and sound designers. While the production design remains rooted in the 18th century setting, it does have some contemporary elements.
“I don’t want the play to feel like a dusty relic,” said Falls. Fiksel’s music has “a contemporary sound to it, which I think offsets and allows the Mozart to really explode.”
The characters of Mozart and Salieri both play the pianoforte onstage, so the actors had to learn the music well enough to sync up with the recordings. Darrow, who is also a musician and composer, actually performs part of his recording.
“Some of my favorite parts of this production are when we are sitting in the theater with the audience just listening to Mozart,” he said. “It really is so powerful to just be in a room listening to music together, which is not something that I think we do very often, especially with 18th century classical music. It’s really something beautiful.”
Barford may play Mozart’s jealous rival onstage, but the actor readily concurred with this praise: “Maybe I’m just an old softie or something, but to hear Mozart’s music, it is so moving. It’s so powerful. It’s eternal, it’s transcendent, it’s oxygen-giving, it’s life-giving. It really is worthy of our time, in my humble opinion.”
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
“Amadeus” plays from Nov. 6 to Jan. 11, 2026, at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.; tickets $64.50-$158.50 at steppenwolf.org