Preview: Lauren Worsham Articulates the Impact of Pasadena Playhouse’s ‘Amadeus’

When Amadeus strikes several compelling chords at Pasadena Playhouse from February 11th through March 15th, it will bring with it more than just one of the great theatrical examinations of genius, jealousy, and artistic obsession — it will also reintroduce a story many audiences first encountered in a very different form. For a huge swath of theatergoers, Amadeus is synonymous with the 1984 film starring Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham, a movie that has become something of a rite-of-passage viewing in high school classrooms and film courses alike. What often gets lost in that recollection is that playwright Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus was first — and remains — an electrifying play, one that thrives on the intimacy, tension, and psychological gamesmanship only live theater can provide.

Shaffer’s 1979 stage work is not a biography in any conventional sense, but rather a richly imagined meditation, filtered through the bitter, brilliant perspective of Antonio Salieri, the court composer who believes himself cursed to recognize genius without possessing it. In this telling, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart becomes both a figure of awe and an instrument of torment, and the collision between the two men thrillingly unfolds as both confession and reckoning.

Pasadena Playhouse’s new production is anchored by a formidable creative team, with esteemed director Darko Tresnjak at the helm, along with scenic designer Alexander Dodge and costume designer Linda Cho, to name a few. The 13-person cast is led by Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays as Antonio Salieri and Sam Clemmett as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, alongside Matthew Patrick Davis as Joseph II, John Lavelle as Orsini-Rosenberg, and Kenajuan Bentley as Van Swieten. Also featured is Lauren Worsham as Constanze, Mozart’s wife — a role that, in the stage version, carries far more narrative and emotional weight than many film-only fans might expect. The Playhouse itself, long one of Southern California’s flagship theatrical institutions, provides an ideal home for such an epic and thoughtful piece.

For Worsham, this production also marks a meaningful reunion. She previously worked with both Tresnjak and Mays on Broadway in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, a collaboration that earned her a Tony nomination and established a creatively fulfilling rapport among the trio. Now, she returns to work with them in a very different capacity — one that replaces musical comedy with psychological drama, and songs with language sharpened to a blade.

A few weeks ago, LAexcites spoke with Lauren Worsham about returning to work with Tresnjak and Mays, discovering Constanze through the lens of the stage version, and what it means to step into a play so deeply entwined with cultural memory.

You’ve reunited with both Jefferson Mays and director Darko Tresnjak since collaborating with them more than ten years ago. What has excited you the most about working with them again in this non-musical context, and how does that prior chemistry possibly lend itself to your work as Constanze?

Worsham: The greatest gift as an actor is that you can trust your director, which is why people keep coming back to work with Darko. He really finds his people, and he trusts his actors implicitly. I feel safe to make all sorts of choices, I trust his vision and, after having worked with Jefferson on Broadway for a year, I’d say the same thing about him. I’ve eaten a pound of his spit [laughs] — and if you’ve seen the show, you know there’s lots of spit [laughs]. It’s like family, and the safer you feel on stage, the more honest and real it is.

The 1984 film version of Amadeus is iconic, but Peter Shaffer’s original play (which premiered in 1979) has a more intimate, theatrical intensity. What aspects of the stage version do you find particularly powerful or even superior to the film?

Worsham: Well, I’ve never seen the play myself — I’ve only read it. I’ve seen the film — her role is bigger in the play than it is in the film. Very interestingly — and I spoke with Darko about this — is her role in Mozart’s life. She reminds of [Alexander] Hamilton in a way given that, after her husband’s death, she grew her husband’s legacy by spreading his work and became ultimately his biggest champion in life. And the play really captures that dedication to their relationship.

Your career has been deeply rooted in musical theater and opera, where voice and song often drive the storytelling. What drew you to Constanze in this straight play, and how does it feel liberating — or challenging — to focus purely on text, subtext, and physicality without the support of music?

Worsham: I should say that Darko started in and has done so much extensive work in opera — any director who directs Amadeus needs to understand music, which Darko does. And as a performer, there’s music in everything, like Shakespeare with verse. But there’s music in comedy as in rhythm and tone. Just because there’s not an orchestra supporting underneath, it doesn’t mean there isn’t rhythm in language. And that’s how I view it — I work with the musicality of the dialogue and speech which delivers a meaning most people may not even be aware of is necessarily being delivered. Accents on words have a musicality as well and my job is to help capture the cadence and tempo of it all.

Constanze is often portrayed as a pragmatic, devoted wife caught in the whirlwind of her husband’s genius and the court’s envy. How are you approaching her character in this production, and what layers of strength, vulnerability, or humor are you bringing to her that might surprise audiences?

Worsham: I think I’m really approaching it through the lens of a love story as there’s great strength in being a supportive member. I’ve been married myself for 15 years, and there’s lots of strength in being in a committed relationship over multiple years and growing up together, which is what I believe Amadeus and Constanze do over the course of the play, going from goofy children to real adults grappling with tragedy. That, to me, is the entry point — a love story on her end.

Amadeus explores profound themes of mediocrity versus divine talent, jealousy, and the cost of genius. How do those themes resonate with you personally as an artist?

Worsham: I think every single human being can identify with jealousy, covetousness, and feeling cheated or destined for something that was taken from you. I feel that’s something we’ve all identified with, and the play does a really good job exploring that — and Jefferson will be amazing as Salieri and exploring those darker themes. And what a beautiful backdrop it will be between Salieri and Mozart.

What has the rehearsal process been like?

Worsham: Actually, we start rehearsal tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 13th)!

In that case, what do you anticipate from the rehearsal process?

Worsham: This is my fifth production with Darko so I know how he runs the room — there will be a lot of laughter but also a lot of getting down to business. He stages very quickly so we can get it in our bones and experiment. With something like this, there will be lots of costume pieces — I’ve already had two costume fittings with pannier petticoats, which will impact how I move. I’m not only in restrictive clothing, but I will do lots of physical activity like crawling around on the floor which should be fun.

I saw Sam on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and he was fantastic; and, having known Jefferson for many years — he’s already sent me emails, apologizing for having to be nasty and wicked to me in the show [laughs] — it’s going to be a great time. So, joy is what I look forward to the most.

Lastly, Pasadena Playhouse has a rich history as a Tony-winning theater hub. What appeals to you about bringing Amadeus to this venue and audience in Southern California, especially in a time when stories about ambition, envy, and legacy feel so timely?

Worsham: A., it’s a great play, period, and B., I’m really excited because it’s in my backyard and 15 minutes from my house. A lot of my friends will come and see it. I don’t know if this is something I’ll bring my kids to — they’re 6 and 9 — maybe my 9-year-old but my 6-year-old will be jealous. Not being able to work where you live is frustrating, so I feel very lucky to work at my local and incredible Tony Award-winning theater. And during these god-awful times, it’s important to keep supporting the arts and continue to enjoy life. Joy is [a type of] resistance in fighting the good fight. You need something to keep you going.

Cover image caption: Left to right are Jefferson Mays and Sam Clemmett who star as Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, respectively, in Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Amadeus. Photo courtesy of Pasadena Playhouse.

Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Amadeus runs from Wednesday, February 11th through Sunday, March 15th. For more information on the play and to purchase tickets, visit pasadenaplayhouse.org.