SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

★★★★

“Jack Chambers’ Mozart movingly shows every single hope, fear and regret”

Saving Mozart by Charli Eglinton bursts onto the stage, bringing Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart and his complex family dynamics to life and bang up to date. Though like Mozart’s actual career, it gets a little lost at points.

A modern musical about the man behind the mastery, Saving Mozart explores the complex relationships that challenge and drive him. The close bond with his equally prodigious sister Nannerl is shaken; his taskmaster father prioritises success and society over his children; his protective mother (spoiler alert) dies too soon; his rival Salieri both guides and gets in the way, and his ambitious wife Constanze pushes him on when all seems lost.

Eglinton’s writing injects humanity into the story, showing us the struggles and successes inside Mozart’s troubled mind. Satisfyingly, the women in his life are credited as the real reasons for his success. That said, the plot suffers from trying to do too much, charting his itinerant career and several complex relationships and exploring themes that sometimes go nowhere. Between that and a score bursting with songs, the core of the piece gets a little lost. This isn’t helped by some character inconsistencies. The father, Leopold, lacks a coherent character arc, instead flipping between unforgiving stage dad and regretful father figure. Salieri seems to go out of his way to hamper Mozart’s career before abruptly making amends. Even Nannerl, who dotes on Mozart in Act 1, sides entirely with her father in Act 2 despite him scuppering her life’s happiness. Even if this is what happened in real life it could be more nuanced, perhaps through more dialogue.

Eglinton’s score is fantastic, cleverly weaving in fragments of Mozart’s music and completely reinventing them within a very modern sound drawing on pop, rock, blues and even Michael Bublé. There are some very catchy songs, such as the virtuosic opening number ‘Remember Me’; devastating songs, such as the mother’s soulful ‘He’s Only a Child’; and high energy ensemble songs, such as ‘Stand Up Stand Down’. Though again, the score feels a little full and perhaps could be refined to create some breathing space.

Co-directed by Taylor Walker and Markus Olzinger, the piece is emotionally charged from the off. Mozart narrates his life as the only character breaking the fourth wall, drawing you into his troubled mind from the beginning. He also shadows his younger self, deepening the poignancy of these formative moments.

The cast is stunning. Jack Chambers’ Mozart movingly shows every single hope, fear and regret while delivering soaring yet raw vocals. Aimie Atkinson’s Nannerl exudes brilliance, wit, affection and frustration with equally nuanced vocals. Jordan Luke Gage’s smouldering Salieri absolutely sizzles with knowing cynicism and a voice to die for. Gloria Onitiri’s Anna Maria Mozart is devastatingly soulful. Izzie Monk absolutely holds her own as Little Mozart, with the stage presence and singing capability of a much older actor. The ensemble brings the energy and nails Walker’s choreography, executing a range of styles with precision and prowess, though would benefit from a bit more space. The musicians and musical direction by Robert Wicks are also fantastic, bringing the score to life with biting precision and virtuosic skill.

Justin Williams’ set design is modern and monochrome, with a big white ‘M’ dominating more familiar elements of the otherwise minimalist set (much like Mozart himself). Julia Pschedezki and Lucy K. Crew’s costumes bring haute couture to the stage, elevating 18th century ruffs and frills with enviable silhouettes and styles. This contrasts with 18th century style wigs and hair (Renate Harter) which are beautiful and complex. Sound design (Tom Marshall) is spot on, blending seamlessly with the score. Lighting design (Ben Jacobs) is at points as iconic as the action on stage.

Based on writing alone, I’m not sure if Saving Mozart achieves its aim; but the cast, score, choreography, design and direction more than make up for it in this sizzling, foot tapping, bass thumping musical that will make audiences fall in love with Mozart all over again.

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 5th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Danny Kaan

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

THE LIGHTNING THIEF | ★★★ | March 2025

HOMO ALONE | ★★★ | December 2024

JULIE: THE MUSICAL | ★★½ | June 2024

CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE 90s MUSICAL | ★★★★ | January 2024

A VERY VERY BAD CINDERELLA | ★★★★ | December 2023

TROMPE L’OEIL | ★★★ | September 2023

DOM – THE PLAY | ★★★★ | February 2023

GHOSTED – ANOTHER F**KING CHRISTMAS CAROL | ★★★★★ | December 2022

GLORY RIDE | ★★★ | November 2022

MILLENNIALS | ★★★ | July 2022

Saving Mozart

★★★★★

“Hadestown is the West End musical you’ll want to see this year. And next year. And the year after.”

Hadestown is that remarkable thing: an adaptation of a tragic Greek myth that isn’t an opera or a film, or a series of elegiac poems, but is instead a bluesy, jazzy, rock musical with an uplifting ending. Yes, you read that right. Anaïs Mitchell, who wrote the music, lyrics and book, promoted early versions of Hadestown from rural beginnings in Vermont for years before she found the right team to help bring her vision to Broadway. And after taking Broadway by storm in 2019, it’s now the turn of London’s West End. This production of Hadestown has found just the right venue. The Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue is big enough to enhance the energy of its multi-talented cast, yet intimate enough to create the mood of a jazz club in New Orleans.

Hadestown is not the first musical to adapt the ancient Greek story of singer songwriter Orpheus and his wife Eurydice, but this is a fresh take on an old story. In the original, Orpheus and Eurydice are newly weds, blissfully happy until Eurydice dies from a snakebite. Unable to accept her loss, Orpheus follows her into Hades’ realm, with only his musical talent for protection. But Hadestown is not just about Orpheus and Eurydice. It’s also the story of another pair of doomed lovers, Persephone and Hades, the King and Queen of the Underworld. Plus their part in the environmental destruction that’s taking place on the planet above them. There’s a lot of material to unpack, but Mitchell’s lyrics, music and book are satisfyingly complex enough to hold it all.

Mitchell and her team have made some changes to the original Greek myth. Orpheus is still the dreamy artist, too busy composing songs to notice the danger his wife is in. Eurydice is an orphan in this version, hungry and cold. When the King of the Underworld tempts her with a one way ticket on his train to hell, she gives up Orpheus for food and shelter in return. Her story is mirrored in that of Hades’ unhappy wife Persephone. Hades, the brutal capitalist, is too busy exploiting his workers to pay much attention to her. The irony is that Hades thinks he can chain Persephone to him with his profits in gold, silver and jewelry. In the Hadestown version of the myth, there are four unhappy people with much to give. Yet they keep making the choices that bring them all to hell. There’s a lesson there for all of us. Fortunately it takes the form of memorable songs, brilliant lyrics, plus a book that is unusually complex and thought provoking. With so much packed into Hadestown, it’s easy to forgive the length of this musical. And one or two spots where the action slows, and you waken, for a moment, from the dream.

The Lyric Theatre’s production of Hadestown has put together a fantastic cast, and a band of great talent to support them. Despite the formidable leading men, Dónal Finn (Orpheus) and Zachary James (Hades), this production belongs to its leading women. Gloria Onitiri as Persephone and Grace Hodgett Young as Eurydice fill the space with their powerhouse voices, and Melanie La Barrie (Hermes) is both a voice to reckon with as well as a sympathetic narrator. Fates Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel turbo charge the female power on stage. The rest of the cast are equally dynamic supporters, and there’s no question the musicians are up to the task of backing these voices. Trombonist Daniel Higham and Brad Webb on drums stand out as they add just the right amount of jazz club intimacy to draw the audience in. The choreography (David Neumann), costumes (Michael Krass) and lighting (Bradley King) echo the sense of nightclub ambience. Together with the vision of Mitchell, the direction of Rachel Chavkin and Rachel Hauck’s scenic design, the team keeps this version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth paradoxically intimate, while seamlessly transferring the action between upper world to underworld, with assists from stage lifts and revolves.

Hadestown is the West End musical you’ll want to see this year. And next year. And the year after. Take your friends. This version of a classical Greek myth is something we can all relate to. Orpheus and Eurydice’s love story may have a tragic ending, but you’ll leave the theatre in an upbeat mood.

Tag Archives: Gloria Onitiri

SAVING MOZART

★★★★

The Other Palace

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

★★★★

“Jack Chambers’ Mozart movingly shows every single hope, fear and regret”