Though director Rishi Sharma did his utmost to conceal them, as last orders were called and I nursed my pint up the theatre stairs, his nerves were tangible. Rightly so; in my three years at Cambridge, I have never seen a production at the ADC so ambitious as Sharma and Shortland’s take on the musical classic, Amadeus. After being treated to two opera singers, an orchestra of eighteen, a choir, fifteen actors and several pianists, to describe this production even as ‘ambitious’ seems a gross understatement.

More impressive than the sheer number of people on stage at any one time though, was the diversity and talent of the cast. It was a delight to see Michael Olatunji and Owen Igiehon back onstage together, with the former cementing his status as a rising star through a thoroughly convincing performance as Salieri, whilst the latter – a master of his craft – took on a supporting role as one of Mozart’s patrons, reminding viewers that he is very much ‘one to watch’ when he leaves Cambridge theatre.

Whilst such performances are to be expected from Olatunji and Igiehon, ADC newcomer Haran Loganathan’s portrayal of Mozart was more of a surprise. Small, silly, immature, and yet utterly brilliant, within two minutes of dialogue I was convinced that Loganathan was made for the role. His brief recital of one of Mozart’s arias further confirmed this and was indicative of his exceptional talent. Credit must also be given to Ebenezer Boakye, who gave off all the reassured self-confidence of his elder colleagues, easily duping the audience into thinking that he has been doing this for years.

A less obvious casting decision was Phoebe Deller as Emperor Joseph. Whimsical and slightly ridiculous, I appreciate what the directors were trying to achieve, but it does not seem clear why the performance really needed another slapstick character. Nevertheless, it was a strong and entertaining performance by Deller who proves themself to be a flexible actor.

Amongst all this talent, the last thing any would-be-theatre-reviewer could expect was a show-stealing performance. This is however precisely what Imogen Rowe very nearly achieved. Whilst her appearances on stage as Salieri’s soprano pupil were all too brief, they were met with roaring applause – such musical brilliance almost seemed out of place at the ADC. The opportunity to witness Rowe’s supreme vocal ability alone makes the production must-see.

Rowe’s voice and the quality of the cast necessarily demand an orchestra similarly as talented – in this, the performance was unfortunately let down. Though I can sympathise with the nervousness of the ensemble, in a production where music is so essential, their performance simply was not up to scratch. It was a great shame that some of the most moving dialogue, notably Thea Melton’s brilliant eulogy, were nearly entirely obscured and overpowered by the orchestra’s confusion. Salieri’s monologues were beset by a similar problem, with the audience unable to give him his due attention because of the chaotic musical backdrop.

Some issues are to be expected, however, of such an ambitious performance – it is remarkable that there were not more. I am confident in saying that, had Rowe been allowed to shine for a bit longer, and had there been an orchestra to match, Amadeus would have easily won itself a five-star review and a prolonged ovation. Every other aspect was simply perfect, and everyone involved in the performance should be thoroughly proud of themselves.