What Can Save Saving Mozart?
The new musical Saving Mozart has taken the stage at The Other Palace — but does this retelling strike the right chord?
Saving Mozart charts the rise of iconic composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jack Chambers), while seeking to spotlight the lesser-known women who shaped and sustained him: his sister Nannerl (Aimie Atkinson) and his wife Constanze (Erin Caldwell).
What initially appears to be a reframing of Mozart’s story through the eyes of these women ultimately reverts to a more familiar narrative that recentres Wolfgang himself. This sentiment was echoed by many audience members following the performance. Mozart’s genius and legacy are already well explored in history. The more compelling and underrepresented figure was Nannerl, a prodigy in her own right whose brilliance was sidelined by the societal constraints of her time. Just as her story begins to gain momentum, it is eclipsed by her brother’s rise once again.
Her absence from the stage is keenly felt. There remains a strong desire to understand what she was experiencing while Mozart lived the life she had once been promised. That silenced perspective, the overlooked sister and unfulfilled genius, held the greatest potential for emotional depth. Yet the production ultimately falls back into the pattern of centring the man’s journey.
The music had a lot to live up to, given that this is a story about one of the greatest musicians of all time. It was a nice touch to hear Mozart motifs skillfully integrated within the modern musical sounds, creating a bridge between classical and contemporary styles. While some songs stood out as strong, memorable numbers on their own, others began to blend together, feeling somewhat similar and ultimately unmemorable.
That said, Jack Chambers gives a standout performance as Mozart. His charisma, boundless energy, and vocal power resonated strongly, with audience members audibly praising him and inquiring about his name post-show, a testament to his star potential. His dynamic with Aimie’s Nannerl is a highlight, capturing the joyful mischief of their sibling bond, which gradually unravels as success pulls them apart.
Aimie Atkinson brings her usual charm and emotional nuance to Nannerl, lighting up the stage with commanding vocals and presence. Her portrayal is tender and compelling, which makes her character’s sudden absence in the latter half of Act I all the more disappointing. With so much richness to explore in Nannerl’s story, her early disappearance feels like a missed opportunity. Particular highlights were “Remember Me” in Act I, which establishes Nannerl as a “genius” and “prodigy,” shining a spotlight on her musical talent, and “I Don’t Believe You” in Act II, where Nannerl confronts Mozart for leaving her behind while he pursued a life of success. These moments embodied the show’s most compelling perspective, the silenced sister and overlooked musician, yet sadly, this core narrative thread gets lost as the story shifts focus back to Mozart.
Similarly, Erin Caldwell begins with a fleeting appearance in Act I as Constanze, only to return with more stage time in the second act. While her role becomes more prominent, it still feels ultimately in service of Mozart’s arc rather than a fully formed journey of her own. Nevertheless, Erin’s soft strength and crystal-clear vocals make her scenes memorable.
Gloria Onitiri has a brief but powerful stint as Mozart’s mother, Anna Maria. She delivers a stirring rendition of “He’s Only a Child”, only for the character to die soon after with little narrative impact. Thankfully, Onitiri returns in Act II in the more interesting role of Celia, Constanze’s mother, where her talents are far better utilised.
Douglas Hansell portrays Leopold Mozart, whose character left some audience members confused. It was unclear whether he was meant to be an exploitative, overbearing father or a caring, if misguided, parent. The inconsistency left his motivations murky and diluted his emotional weight in the story.
Rocking a princess track is Jordan Luke Gage as Antonia Salieri. Set up as the villain opposite Mozart, his character is not around much to truly serve as a foil. Yet with his eyeliner and brooding persona he stole the stage when on it. But again, as a villain he did not feel fleshed out.
Carla Lopez-Corpas stepped into the role of Little Mozart/Karl Mozart for this performance, bringing a bright and heartfelt energy to the stage. Her chemistry with Aimie Atkinson was particularly touching, the two truly felt like siblings. Aimie portrayed a protective, nurturing older sister encouraging her younger brother to dream beyond their circumstances, while Carla captured the wide-eyed admiration and curiosity of a younger sibling who clearly looked up to her. Their scenes together offered some of the most emotionally grounded and sincere moments in the production.
Unfortunately, the presence of the ensemble often felt more distracting than dynamic. Rather than enhancing the storytelling, the choreography came across as forced and overly stylised, seemingly trying to emulate the ensemble-driven energy of Hamilton but without the same narrative integration or clarity of purpose. Their movement often felt disconnected from the core story, creating a sense that they were included more for visual flair than meaningful impact. In moments where the leads could have commanded stillness or space, the ensemble instead added unnecessary noise.
This performance, held one night before official press night, seemed unusually rough around the edges for a show this close to formal reviews. Significant technical issues undermined the production. Lighting cues were frequently missed, leaving performers in the dark during key moments. A particularly loud and intrusive smoke machine added distraction without purpose, often obscuring an already dimly lit stage. At one point, an entire scene appeared to unfold in darkness due to a delayed lighting transition. These technical problems made the production feel unpolished and incomplete.
Justin Williams does deliver, once again, a beautiful, dynamic set. At its centre stands a striking oversized 'M,' ingeniously designed to serve both as a focal point and as versatile hiding spots and levels for the actors and dancers.
Beyond the technical aspects, Saving Mozart seems to be struggling with an identity crisis. It is unclear whether the show is meant to be sung-through or not. Although there is minimal spoken dialogue, the songs often fail to advance the plot or fully develop the characters. Scenes feel truncated and lack the emotional depth needed for the audience to truly invest in the characters’ journeys or root for their desires. The music blends period styles with modern elements, but much like the staging, it sometimes feels like it is striving for a Hamilton-style approach without achieving the same cohesion. I thought no more chairs could be moved around a stage, but this production takes the cake. Likewise, the frequent spinning of characters on that piano became dizzyingly repetitive.
The transitions between scenes often felt clunky. Many scenes were short and lacked clear resolution or character depth, which made it difficult to follow the emotional throughline of the story. This structural inconsistency also created awkwardness for the audience. Particularly in the first act, it was often unclear when a scene or song had ended, leading to hesitant or mistimed applause. In several instances, dialogue followed musical numbers so abruptly that there was no natural space to acknowledge the performers, undercutting some otherwise strong vocal moments.
I approached Saving Mozart with great enthusiasm and a genuine desire to be captivated, and my observations are offered in the spirit of constructive critique, with the hope that the production will continue to develop and improve. While the show demonstrates considerable potential through strong performances and moments of musical ingenuity, it requires further refinement in storytelling, narrative clarity, and technical execution. With continued workshopping, this ambitious retelling could achieve the impact it aspires to, but it would also benefit from tighter pacing, greater polish, and deeper character development, particularly by giving Nannerl, Constanze, and the supporting characters the richer focus their stories deserve.
★★★
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