On Theater: A rich, full-bodied ‘Amadeus’ at SCR

Not since Othello’s “green-eyed monster” has the specter of jealousy so ravaged and ruined a life filled with passion and promise as do the events depicted in Peter Shaffer’s brilliant historical drama “Amadeus,” currently closing out the season with an exclamation point at South Coast Repertory.

The monster in this case has its tentacles firmly locked around the renowned court composer of late 18th-century Vienna, Antonio Salieri, for whom the arrival of a young wunderkind with musical talents vastly superior to his own poses a frightening threat. The young composer’s name? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

This second SCR production of “Amadeus” — the first kicked off the 1983-84 season — is a hugely powerful endeavor anchored by two magnificent performances in the roles of Salieri and Mozart. Director Kent Nicholson has delivered a heart-wrenching production — bordering on melodrama but historically accurate — that will be revered by classical music buffs but may equally be appreciated by playgoers with ears of tin.

The drama covers a decade (1781-1791) in the lives of the brash young Mozart and the older, scheming Salieri, who conspires to destroy the prodigy while extending a faux hand of friendship. SCR’s lengthy (three hours), full-throated interpretation thrusts these two larger-than-life characters center stage in a clash of artistic passions.

As the cunning Salieri, Marco Barricelli commands the stage as character and narrator, sharing his anti-Mozart plot intimately with his audience. Barricelli portrays the Jekyll and Hyde aspects of his role with fiery determination, ultimately consumed by his own triumph in a sequence of stark terror.

Asher Grodman enacts the young, frisky Mozart with aplomb, transforming from a bratty, undisciplined child at the outset to a sickly, artistically frustrated adult in his mid-30s. Grodman skillfully presents a budding genius fully aware of his superiority and furious at the inability of those at court to recognize it.

As Mozart’s loving but conflicted wife, who’d sleep with Salieri if it would further her husband’s career, Liesel Allen Yeager lends an injection of reality, mesmerizing in her final scene. Mark Capri is a formidable force as Mozart’s Masonic brother offering conditional assistance.

Peter Frechette as Austrian ruler Joseph II properly bends with the prevailing winds. Camille Thornton-Alson is engaging as a young strumpet, and Geoffrey Wade impresses as a stiffly back-boned court official.

Technically, SCR’s “Amadeus” is larger than life, with John Iacovelli’s hugely oversized setting, Alex Jaeger’s opulent period costumes and, in particular, Darron West’s thundering sound design.

“Amadeus” is an exhausting experience highlighted by Barricelli’s stupendous portrayal of Salieri. It’s a powerful combination of history lesson and whodunit at South Coast Repertory.

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IF YOU GO

What: “Amadeus”

Where: South Coast Repertory’s Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and weekend matinees at 2:30 p.m. until June 5

Cost: Tickets start at $22

Information: (714) 708-5555