★★★★

“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.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Watermill Theatre

★★★★★

“Never before has the emotional journey of the characters been portrayed with such intensity, sensitivity, joy, menace and clarity”

Originally conceived as a concert album, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s sung-through rock opera, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, has probably never had a night where it hasn’t been performed on a stage somewhere in the world since its Broadway premiere in 1971. Most people who see it nowadays have probably seen it multiple times before. No doubt a large-scale production. Paul Hart’s revival, using actor musicians, at the Watermill Theatre is extraordinarily intimate and immersive, but the impact is as huge. We emerge electrified and emotionally charged. This is an interpretation like you have never seen before.

The opening guitar riff is unmistakable. Gradually joined by flute, trombone, then cello it grows stealthily into the iconic ‘Overture’ and Judas’ number ‘Heaven on Their Minds’. Before we know it, ‘What’s the Buzz’ grasps the Motown vibe with wild abandon, stunning it with its stabs of horns. There is a carnival atmosphere. It is Gothic and sepulchral yet lives on the street. Urban and rural, Biblical and modern. Clubland but also the wilderness. There is no space between the performers and the audience, so we cannot help but be a part of the journey: an odyssey that is intimate, urgent, sexy and rebellious.

Depicting the last few days leading up to the death of Jesus, the musical looks at the events mainly through the eyes of Judas. Max Alexander-Taylor – as Judas – has the subversive energy of a punk musician, the voice of a Prog-Rock demi-God and the defiance and impetuosity of a true sceptic. His emotions flicker in his eyes and gestures before being fired from his electric guitar solos like bolts of lightning. Michael Kholwadia’s Jesus is stunningly beautiful in black eyeliner, with the aura of a jaded touring ‘superstar’ at the end of his tether, sick of being surrounded by yes-men. The chemistry between the two is electric. Making up the trio is Parisa Shahmir. They say that behind every great man is a woman. Mary stands by her man. Shahmir stands apart, and stands out too. Solid, strong and sassy; virtuous but oozing sex appeal, she soothes with a velvet voice, particularly when her rendition of ‘Everything’s Alright’ melts into just her and her guitar with an echoing, dreamy vocal.

But this is an ensemble production; each cast member an integral part of Hart’s ingenious staging. When Alexander-Taylor launches into ‘Damned for All Time/Blood Money’, simple movements evoke the walls closing in on the impossible choices Judas is forced to make. Anjali Mehra’s choreography is immediate and finely in tune with the nuances of the narrative while paying fine attention to detail. Similarly evocative are David Woodhead’s set and costume and Rory Beaton’s lighting design, both of which brim with inventive touches. Sound designer Tom Marshall has an impossible task, but the amalgam of voices, instruments and locations is spot on. We never miss a beat, a word, a stab of the horns or the subtlest strum of an acoustic guitar.

It is a futile task to single out performances where even the ensemble stands out, but mention has to be made of Olugbenga Adelekan as Caiaphas, whose voice can plumb the depths and reach the heights within a semi-quaver. Cool but dangerous he commands the space each time he claims the stage. Christian Edwards, as Pilate, also seizes our gaze, so you simply can’t take your eyes off him. ‘Pilate’s Dream’ is a… well… a dream of a song.

For Act Two we are outside in the Watermill’s grounds. What better way to embody the Garden of Gethsemane? Guards trumpet from the rooftops while Kholwadia’s voice soars over the treetops. As the sun goes down, we anticipate a riot. The apostles like Gothic revellers clash with the Roman soldiers like riot police, and we are caught in the crossfire before being ushered back inside.

‘King Herod’s Song’ is a hilarious, scandalous, risqué number with Samuel Morgan-Grahame holding fort as a bondage club host. Camp but menacing, he is an S&M king wandering onto the set of the Rocky Horror show while Anjali Mehra’s choreography comes to the fore with a sadistic, macabre and extremely funny routine.

But as we reach the final moments, the sheer strength of the show forces its way into the foreground with a poignancy that overshadows previous incarnations of this musical. Yet throughout there has still been space for occasional lightness of touch and humour that is essential, and inbuilt, into the story. At times it seems that Hart has a hot line direct to Lloyd Webber’s original intention.

Never before has the emotional journey of the characters been portrayed with such intensity, sensitivity, joy, menace and clarity. The stakes are high, emotionally and politically. And the talents and musicality are on a scale that is breathtaking. This show gets to the heart of the matter, and pierces our hearts too. It is an unmissable production – instantly recognisable as the classic that it is, but also like you have never seen before (as I have said before!).

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

★★★★

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

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 5th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Danny Kaan

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Saving Mozart

Saving Mozart

Saving Mozart

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Watermill Theatre

★★★★★

“Never before has the emotional journey of the characters been portrayed with such intensity, sensitivity, joy, menace and clarity”