YEOVIL’S Swan Theatre will be performing Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play Amadeus from Monday 13th to Saturday 18th November, with Ethan Meadowcroft-Taylor in the title role and Peter Carter-Brown as his rival composer, Antonio Salieri. Most people know the story from Milos Forman’s 1984 Oscar winning film, with its American stars F Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce.

In Yeovil, the play is directed by Will O’Neill, who is best known locally for his work with Taunton Thespians. The 19-strong cast unfolds the, set in Vienna in 1823, in which the aging Salieri remembers the decade from 1781, when the prodigiously talented and famously difficult young Mozart was equally enchanting and infuriating the court of Emperor Joseph II. Fearful that he would be eclipsed by the young composer, Salieri did everything he could to discredit his rival. Now, in old age, he is wracked with guilt.

The Swan cast also incudes Carys Clayton as Constanze Weber, Tryrone Trower as the Emperor and, making a very welcome return to the local stage, Shaun Driver as Count von Strack. Adrian Harding plays Count Orsini Rosenberg, with Richard Culham, Judith Payne and Sally Matthews, Richard Cannon, David Pileri, Jack Stevenson, Di Somerville, Priya Modi, Michael Vickery, Ruby Bryant, Naomi Glinn, Vicky Pittard and Caroline Bracher.

Performances of this exciting play start at 7.30, and some tickets are still available.