Saving Mozart musical at the Other Palace – review

Mozart’s story has captivated audiences for centuries: the child prodigy who became an adult genius, shaped by a domineering father and immortalised in countless retellings, most notably Milos Foreman’s Oscar-winning Amadeus. Now, Saving Mozart offers something refreshingly different, though not always successfully.

Hot off the success of musicals like & Juliet and Six, writer-composer Charli Elginton delivers Mozart reimagined for Gen Z. Her bold choice? Shifting focus from Wolfgang himself (Jack Chambers) to the remarkable women who shaped his extraordinary life, all set to a score of noughties-inspired power-pop that pulses with contemporary energy.

This feminist reframing proves genuinely engaging. Nannerl (Aimie Atkinson), Mozart’s inspiringly gifted sister, emerges as the nurturing force behind her infant brother’s early genius. Their mother Anna Maria (Gloria Onitiri) becomes his fierce protector against their father’s cruelty, while wife Constanze (Erin Caldwell) provides the love and stability that sustained the composer’s turbulent career. It’s a perspective that feels both timely and emotionally resonant.

Yet for all its ambition, Saving Mozart frustratingly squanders much of its potential. Despite covering significant biographical ground, the narrative leaves glaring holes in Mozart’s story. His musical achievements (the very reason we know his name) are glossed over so thoroughly that newcomers might leave wondering why this composer matters at all. The man who gave us The Magic Flute and Requiem is reduced to something approaching a musical footnote in his own story.

Where the production truly excels is in its audacious visual world. Justin Williams’ set design, dominated by a towering letter “M”, creates a deconstructed steampunk playground that screams 1980s excess: think Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys” video brought to theatrical life. Julia Pschdezki’s costumes push even further into New Romantic territory, transforming the cast into what could easily be extras from an Adam and the Ants music video. Taylor Walker’s choreography completes this aesthetic trinity with furniture-moving sequences so stylised they could have sprung from Kate Bush’s imagination.

The marriage of 2000s pop sensibilities with 1980s visual flair should feel chaotic, but instead creates something unexpectedly delightful. Elginton’s score delivers genuine highlights – particularly her clever integration of Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 into “Remember Me” and her transformation of the Queen of the Night’s notorious vocal acrobatics into an R’n’B-tinged showcase in “Listen to Me.” These moments hint at what the show could achieve with tighter focus.

Unfortunately, that focus proves elusive. Walker and director Markus Olzinger present their material with earnest intensity but little subtlety, while the production’s greatest weakness – a scattered, overstuffed narrative – becomes increasingly apparent. The first act shows promise, but the story loses momentum dramatically, cramming too much incident into too little time and leaving audiences with a frustratingly dull second half.

Saving Mozart succeeds as a feast for the eyes and offers moments of genuine musical pleasure, but its inability to balance spectacle with storytelling ultimately undermines its feminist revisionist goals. While there’s something to be said for putting the women back into Wolfgang’s story, the production needs to remember that Mozart himself (and the music that made him immortal) deserves more than passing mention in his own biographical musical.

Despite its flaws, theatre lovers curious about bold reimaginings of classical stories will find enough visual splendor and musical innovation to justify the journey – just don’t expect a coherent biography of one of history’s greatest composers.