Rating: 
Summary: Musical Evil
Review: A wonderous yet haunting tale of deception and evil. Shaffer speaks to the core of what makes us human: our faults, our triumphs, and our inconsistencies. Wonderfully complex, and beautifully written.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocrity can be too much to face
Review: Amadeus, in my opinion, is Shaffer's masterpiece. Shaffer explores the familiar theme of man versus God at a new depth, but it is his treatment of the theme of mediocrity that gives this play its true bite. I find myself in this play and my guess is that you will too. Much like court composer Antonio Salieri, I am good at what I do and I am grateful that I have been endowed with the ability to excel professionally. Still, I am the not best (no matter how much I wish it for myself.) I am, however, blessed or cursed , depending on your perspective, with the ablity to recognize someone who has been given that special gift just as Antonio Salieri realizes the incredible musical talents of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Being truthful, like Salieri, I too can grow jealous, especially when I must work hard at something that comes so easily to someone gifted.Traveling with Antonio Salieri as he deals with his own talents in the face of Mozart's is a rich, rewarding experience. It is a pleasure I urge you not to deny yourself and I promise that the play offers a much deeper character study than the film. If I had the option to give this 10 stars, I would. It is truly a masterpiece of late twentieth century theatre.
Rating:
Summary: Rock me, Amadeus!!
Review: An excellent play made into a excellent movie! Great writing, wit, charm, characterization, humor, and tragic. I could go on with this play; I love it and the movie( which I have watched over five times)! The descpritions of the music and sets are lush and just seem to suit the subject. The character of Salieri is so developed and complex: you feel sorry for him one minute and you despise him the next. Amadeus is so much like a child in being so obilivious to Salieri's intents/jealousy that it makes the character of Amadeus so endearing and the play all the more tragic.
I strongly recommend this to any lover of music,Mozart, or reading. In the(even more) bluntest of terms: it's one of the best plays ever.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Certainly one of the best books I`ve ever read. After I'd seen the movie a couple of times I decided to read the book. I really like the movie, and the book is at least as good. You can feel the bitterness of Salieri's thoughts and feelings, you can almost hear the heavenly music composed by the greatest musician of all times. Peter Shaffer created a milestone writing this fabulous book.
Rating: 
Summary: A close look at Mozart
Review: Excellent image of the genius musician Mozart, his way of living and his enemies who're trying everything to sabotage him. The book is funny, sad, ironic and very interesting. There's also a nice film which is worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: Amadeo!
Review: Great read. Fun enough to re-read!
Rating: 
Summary: What, again?
Review: How many times is Peter Shaffer going to write this play? Amadeus, Royal Hunt of the Sun, Equus: the same play, three titles. Basically, they all boil down to this formula: Boy Meets God. Boy Doesn't Understand Why God Likes Some Other Apparently Unworthy Person More Than He Likes Boy. Boy Kills God By Killing Other Unworthy Person, And Then Wonders Why He Feels So Bad. Once, it is interesting. Twice, well, maybe. Three times in succession? I think not.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular Speculation
Review: I first became familiar with this story after seeing the movie "Amadeus." The movie made me curious about the facts in the lives of its two main characters, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. While not necessarily factual, this play by Peter Shaffer is an intelligent and fascinating examination of two men's suffering: pain in both mediocrity and genius. The play is fast-paced and a relatively easy read. Shaffer paints an elaborate picture of both composer's lives during the time in which they lived. Shaffer's portrait of Salieri is richly written, his thoughts are revealed to the reader/audience through direct speeches and sidebars. Characters act as moving set pieces - their dialogue starting or ending as they carry furniture on and off stage to change scenes. Shaffer's play is an examination into the ruin of both men. Mozart is ruined by his lifestyle and his lack of funding; the citizens and rulers of Vienna find him rude and offensive. They fail to understand the unfamiliar directions his genius is taking the musical world. Salieri is ruined by his fall into mediocrity and obscurity when Mozart arrives in town, the musician blessed by God, and through his plots that lead to Mozart's downfall. While much about the play is based on speculation, it never rings false because of the strong portrayls of each man. Having just recently seen this version of the play performed, it is obvious why Shaffer struggled with getting the character of Salieri "just right." He finds absolution in his final act - confessing his sins to his created audience, and not to the creator he once yearned to serve.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular Speculation
Review: I first became familiar with this story after seeing the movie "Amadeus." The movie made me curious about the facts in the lives of its two main characters, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. While not necessarily factual, this play by Peter Shaffer is an intelligent and fascinating examination of two men's suffering: pain in both mediocrity and genius. The play is fast-paced and a relatively easy read. Shaffer paints an elaborate picture of both composer's lives during the time in which they lived. Shaffer's portrait of Salieri is richly written, his thoughts are revealed to the reader/audience through direct speeches and sidebars. Characters act as moving set pieces - their dialogue starting or ending as they carry furniture on and off stage to change scenes. Shaffer's play is an examination into the ruin of both men. Mozart is ruined by his lifestyle and his lack of funding; the citizens and rulers of Vienna find him rude and offensive. They fail to understand the unfamiliar directions his genius is taking the musical world. Salieri is ruined by his fall into mediocrity and obscurity when Mozart arrives in town, the musician blessed by God, and through his plots that lead to Mozart's downfall. While much about the play is based on speculation, it never rings false because of the strong portrayls of each man. Having just recently seen this version of the play performed, it is obvious why Shaffer struggled with getting the character of Salieri "just right." He finds absolution in his final act - confessing his sins to his created audience, and not to the creator he once yearned to serve.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular Speculation
Review: I first became familiar with this story after seeing the movie "Amadeus." The movie made me curious about the facts in the lives of its two main characters, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. While not necessarily factual, this play by Peter Shaffer is an intelligent and fascinating examination of two men's suffering: pain in both mediocrity and genius. The play is fast-paced and a relatively easy read. Shaffer paints an elaborate picture of both composer's lives during the time in which they lived. Shaffer's portrait of Salieri is richly written, his thoughts are revealed to the reader/audience through direct speeches and sidebars. Characters act as moving set pieces - their dialogue starting or ending as they carry furniture on and off stage to change scenes. Shaffer's play is an examination into the ruin of both men. Mozart is ruined by his lifestyle and his lack of funding; the citizens and rulers of Vienna find him rude and offensive. They fail to understand the unfamiliar directions his genius is taking the musical world. Salieri is ruined by his fall into mediocrity and obscurity when Mozart arrives in town, the musician blessed by God, and through his plots that lead to Mozart's downfall. While much about the play is based on speculation, it never rings false because of the strong portrayls of each man. Having just recently seen this version of the play performed, it is obvious why Shaffer struggled with getting the character of Salieri "just right." He finds absolution in his final act - confessing his sins to his created audience, and not to the creator he once yearned to serve.
| 
