Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart only lived 35 years, but that was time enough to compose more than 600 works, and, if we are to believe the narrative of “Amadeus,” to drive his contemporary Antonio Salieri over the edge of sanity.

Told from the viewpoint of the tortured court composer, this fictionalized account of his endless, fuming, one-sided clash with the young musical genius — and with God — is considered by many drama scholars to be Peter Shaffer’s masterwork.

The career of the accomplished playwright was marked by an ongoing rivalry with his twin brother, Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote plays, novels, and screenplays. While Anthony was no slouch (he wrote “Sleuth,” among others), Peter collected dozens of honors, including two Tonys for best play, an Oscar, and Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. 

Known for his fiercely competitive nature, Peter explored envy and competition in many of his most famous scripts, including “Five Finger Exercise,” “Black Comedy,” “The Royal Hunt of the Sun,” and “Equus,” for which he received an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. 

And then there’s “Amadeus.” This urgent script grabs those themes by the throat and relentlessly claws through them in search of resolution, or at least meaning, for our agonized antihero. Though historically inaccurate — Salieri was not nearly as concerned about Mozart’s success, and it was thought that the two had an amiable relationship — this well-known narrative can make for an entertaining and captivating theatrical experience. 

In ICTRep’s production, which opened Friday, director Julie Longhofer ensures a compelling show with many successful choices. The play is staged at Oliver’s Place, a performance and event space that formerly housed Mount Zion Baptist Church, and the divine connection feels especially appropriate in scenes where Salieri is raging at the Almighty. 

The acoustics are lovely, a wonderful thing given that another fine element of this production is the addition of musical arrangements composed by Dr. Judith Lynn Stillman and executed by members of the marvelous Wichita State University Opera Theater ensemble, led by Music Director Alan Held with Warren Kim playing piano. While the original version of the play does not include choral works, Stillman’s arrangements are sometimes included when companies have access to partnership with a talented choral group, as is the case here. 

The collaboration is a success. The works presented here are composed by Mozart and sung beautifully by the ensemble and featured vocalists: Aria Beert, Laney Beran, Katie Comley, Emily Hamilton, Mitchell Krueger, Elizabeth Lane, and Brian Wacker.

These pieces also act as representatives of major works by Mozart — touchstones in his career — and add a fresh dimension that takes a part in driving the narrative forward.

At each performance, a different preshow solo will set the tone for this augmented version. At Friday’s production, mezzo Beran sang “Voi che sapete” from “The Marriage of Figaro.”

My favorite of Longhofer’s choices? The cast. Working as part of an engaged team, every actor in this show is on point.

Cody Proctor is riveting as Antonio Salieri, taking a role that could be doomed to an angry, one-note existence and building layer upon layer of complex quirks, woes, and paranoias. His superb Salieri is a graceful combination of frenetic motion and thoughtful focus, all driven by his relentless jealousy to exact some kind of revenge. Nailing the character as both the aged storyteller and his younger self, Proctor spends a lot of time on stage, but neither the actor’s monologues nor the show itself feels overlong.

Lyle Valentine is the obnoxious child-genius, Amadeus. With a high-energy physicality and vocal work, Valentine captures the immature composer in all his inappropriate glory. As Mozart’s light (and life) begin to fade, he cuts a pitiful figure that holds the audiences’ rapt attention and elicits their pity. 

Chelsie Penner as Constanze, Mozart’s devoted and beleaguered wife, is all light and joy — sweet, silly, and funny — until the bottom falls out of the couple’s life, at which point Penner’s Constanze is equally convincing as a brokenhearted and hopeless woman.  

Four dignitaries, the power players of 18th-century classical composition, take turns exerting influence. Emperor Joseph II (Shaun-Michael Morse) seems reasonable enough but expects to get his way. Count Johann Kilian von Strack (Chris Sharkey) knows what he wants and is not in the mood to compromise. Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg (J.R. Hurst) prefers the Italian way. Baron Gottfried van Swieten (Bryson Brownlee) is a Mason. Each of these actors bring entertaining and thoughtful performances.

The Venticelli (“little winds” in Italian) are a team of cheeky gossips who serve as a Greek-style chorus, sharing information with major characters and, by default, the audience. Holland Lee Kiser and Lydia Pirilli are ladies of leisure who seem to delight in spreading untoward news. Jackson Dorris and Matt Purdom are a kind of garish Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, gleefully whispering behind the backs of the leads. Pirilli has a charming cameo as Katherina Cavalieri, Salieri’s star pupil and object of his lustful intentions.

All performances benefit from bright, cleverly styled wigs by Julia Faust and costumes by Longhofer, which are appropriate and attractive without being overly lush. The simple stage design — composed of moving tables, chairs, and other elements placed between two pianos — is effective, precisely choreographed, and efficiently put into motion by actors onstage, including Opera Theater ensemble members who play the citizens of Vienna.

Those who enjoyed the 1984 film, directed by Miloš Forman and starring F. Murray Abraham, have a treat in store. While ICTRep obviously has a smaller budget to work with, it gives this lucky audience the opportunity to focus on something more enduring than mere grandeur: the human power of these impressive performances.

The Details

ICTRep presents “Amadeus” in partnership with Wichita State Opera Theater
October 10-19, 2025, at Oliver’s Place, 2512 N. Oliver in Wichita 

Reserved tickets are $25-40. Discounts are available for seniors, veterans, students, and audience members under the age of 30.

Learn more and buy tickets.

Teri Mott is a writer and actor in Wichita, Kansas, where she covers the arts as a critic and feature writer. She is co-founder of The SHOUT.

Support Kansas arts writing

The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation.