The Statler’s Waldorf: Q&A with cast of Amadeus

By David Norman for TAGsgf.com

The Statler’s Waldorf had the privilege, nay, the honor to sit down with Robert Bradley, Mark Irish, Ran Cummings and Whitney Ice of Amadeus to talk about wanting to play Mozart, Weehawken, and Syphilis. This is what took place, over a cold bottle of Brazilian Matè Tea…

The Statler’s Waldorf: So, why are we at Mama Jeans again?

(They all laugh, and smile at Ran)

Robert Bradley: Ran works here.

Ran Cummings: Yeah, I work here.

Mark Irish: … And this is one of my favorite places in Springfield (pats Ran on the shoulder)

The Statler: Cool, how long have you worked here, Ran?

Ran Cummings: About a year and a half.

The Statler: Cool cool, this is my first time here … (The Statler looks around, confused).

Robert Bradley: Really?

(They all shoot each other glances)

The Statler: Yeah, I’m like the opposite of what you should be eating. How long have you been acting?

Ran Cummings: A while.

The Statler: How many shows have you done at the Vandivort?

Ran Cummings: More than one.

(The Statler, intimidated by Ran’s dashing goods looks and short answers, panics, then asks a really broad question)

The Statler: So, tell me about the play?

Ran Cummings: That’s a really broad question.

The Statler (sweating it): Uh, (really sweating it), did you audition for your parts or something? Were you invited? Yeah.

Robert Bradley: If I may … (saved by the director) … Ran auditioned and I personally asked Mark to perform Salieri. I have worked with Mark before on two shows at the Vandivort, one being the musical Nine and the other, Dinner with Friends, several years ago. Once we decided that we were doing Amadeus I knew I needed a Salieri, and I had to know who that was going to be. Mark who lives in West New York/New Jersey—

The Statler: Weehawken!

Mark Irish: Close, I used to live in Weehawken…about ten years ago.

The Statler: Crap. I Googled you, poorly, obviously. Sorry, Robert, please…

Robert Bradley: Once I knew we had Mark in place, everything came together one way or another.

The Statler: When you got the invite, Mark, what did you think?

Mark Irish: Honestly, I had only ever seen the film, right about when it first came out, and I thought to myself, man, wouldn’t it be fun to play Mozart, and that really was the role I wanted to do. I never even really saw myself as Salieri. But, I trust Bob – impeccably. When he had me do Guido in Nine, that was another role I never imagined I’d be playing, but it turned out to one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had on stage, so, however he saw it, however he saw me, I trusted his judgment.

Robert Bradley: Of course the first thing he asked me was, “What are you casting me as? The old man in the show?”

The Statler: Hey, man. You look good for your age.

Mark Irish: Thanks.

Robert Bradley: I told him the Mozart character is in his 30’s so, no, he could not be the young man in the show, but really, Salieri is only an old man at the beginning and end of the play, the rest of the time he was just him. But still, I kept having to tell him, “No! You’re too old for the young role.”

The Statler: Speaking of the young role, Ran, Mozart, kind of a big deal – a big character. How are you taking that?

Ran Cummings: Actually, the funny thing is, relative to Salieri…I don’t feel like I go on stage that much. Mozart is very much a character piece driven by Salieri; you’ve got this one guy monologuing the entire thing and everyone else, the other characters, kind-of fill any of the greater details in the form of vignettes. Actually, I think the Venticelli get more stage time than I do.

The Statler: Who are they?

Robert Bradley: If you only know of the film, they do not exist there – or if they do, very little. The Venticelli are like the “chorus” they work with Salieri and pick up the news, they pick up the gossip and they come back and report to him, they’re more or less his henchmen. There’s a great line that Salieri has about the knowing the ins and outs of the city…

Mark Irish: “The secret to living in any large city is always to know to the minute what is happening behind your back.”

The Statler: We feel that way at TAG.

Robert Bradley: And so, Salieri always knows what’s going on behind his back. During the play, the Venticelli, they’ll talk to both Salieri and the audience to fill what is not being told by Salieri himself, so they’re a great theatrical device, and really probably do get more time on stage than Mozart.

The Statler: Whitney, you still with us? Please feel free to interject at any time…

Robert Bradley: Whitney is the one female in the play with any lines.

The Statler: And those lines should feel privileged. What’s your impression of all this?

Whitney Ice: This whole thing is interesting, I actually hadn’t seen the film before I was cast in the play, and in the movie, my first impression of Constanze was that she is little whiney…and while I appreciated that character, in our performance, I personally wanted her to grow a bit more. Salieri’s influence throughout the play leads her to explore a darker side of her personality and consequently she does change, very quickly and quite significantly.

The Statler: What do you all want the audience to walk away with after the performance?

Robert Bradley: Relief.

Ran Cummings: Syphilis.

The Statler: Say wah?

Ran Cummings: Mozart had Syphilis.

The Statler: You’d think you’d have caught that at My First Time.

Whitney Ice: Ha ha.

Mark Irish: Really, this is such an interesting journey for each character. I think I’d like the audience to walk away with some sense of remorse, maybe a sense of realization. The possibility that these events or thoughts actually took place around and within the character of Salieri seem completely plausible to me. I think it’s relatable because anyone can have the kind of emotion, the jealousy, the envy, that Salieri feels towards Mozart, and then at the end of it all…the regret. So even if people perceive their lives as mediocre or unspectacular they will still see themselves as human, as valid, and as worthwhile, and not trapped, as Salieri remained trapped. I want them to sense, through both Mozart and his music, that he had a zest for life that was so gorgeous and so divine that they would attempt to consider this point of view for themselves.

The Statler: Well said, sir. Well said.

Amadeus opens tonight at the Vandivort and runs through May 14. For tickets call 417-831-8001.

Enjoy.