Amadeus | Literary Criticism & Book Review

Amadeus Critical Overview

The various productions of Amadeus have received mixed reviews from the critics but overwhelmingly enthusiastic support from audiences. Peter Shaffer notes in his introduction to the play that when it opened at the National Theatre of Great Britain in November 1979, "it constituted the single greatest success enjoyed by this celebrated institution since It's founding." Since its initial performance, the play's popularity has spread to Broadway, with runs of more than one thousand performances each, and several European stages. Bernard Levin, in a review for the Times (London), comments on audience response: "those who go to [Amadeus] prepared to understand what It is about will have an experience that far transcends even its considerable value as drama."

Those critics who find "considerable value" in Amadeus include Roland Gelatt, who writes in the Saturday Review that the play "gives heartening evidence that there is still room for the play of...
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