You wait forever to get a musical about the women in Mozart’s life, then two turn up at once. Well perhaps not quite at the same time, as Mozart – Her Story played at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane last November, but still close. That show was unashamedly about Mozart’s sister, Maria Anna – known as Nannerl – hoping to re-frame the narrative of Wolfgang’s life as only having been possible because of her.
Saving Mozart attempts to do something similar. But as it doesn’t quite know what it wants to do and how to do it, it flounders from the get-go. There are always warning lights that flash up when you see that book, music, and lyrics are by the same person, and this show, penned by Charli Eglinton, is no exception. Put bluntly the music is better than the lyrics (though that may because of the presence of ‘Musical Consultant’ Jürgen Goriup), and the lyrics – with all their faults – are better than the book. But it’s in the book that the problem lies. The first fifteen minutes are a mess. The three basic questions of dramatic structure, Whose story is it? What do they want? And What’s stopping them from getting it? are never successfully answered and as a result I, as an audience member, had no idea in whom I should be investing my emotional capital, so was merely a passive viewer of what was happening on stage, rather than being an active participant of the theatrical experience. This might not sound like a problem, but it becomes one later on. To begin with, if it’s Wolfgang’s story, the interval is in the wrong place. Act One ends (structurally), then we get another ten minutes of fresh material tagged on in what feels like the Act Two opener.
Then later on, in Act Two, poor Jack Chambers is crying his eyes out emoting for England as Mozart, and I should have been weeping into my handkerchief along with him…but wasn’t. Why? Because I was watching him, but was detached from the action, as he hadn’t been established as the protagonist (If, indeed, he was meant to be…?).
Things are further complicated by the fact that the young Amadeus Mozart is, for reasons never explained, played by a girl, Izzie Monk (making an impressive West End Debut. Bravo!). So in the first fifteen minutes I have to try and work out if I should be investing my emotional capital in (the excellent) Aimee Atkinson as Nannerl, Izzie Monk as young Mozart, or Jack Chambers as older Mozart.
That is why this show doesn’t work.
That’s not to say that it’s a complete disaster. Far from it. The good news is that the cast are universally excellent. Jack Chambers’ young rock-tenor Mozart is vibrant and sexy, and very well paired with Erin Caldwell’s love interest, Constanza. Jordan Luke Gage make a devilish antagonist as Salieri, with Gloria Onitiri’s belt’s as both Mozart’s and Constanza’s mothers adding weight to interesting and varied Mozart-quoting rock score.
I have my reservations about the overall production (what’s with those umbrellas?), but Julia Pschedezki’s witty and often sexy costume designs suggest a period setting without actually going there, and co-director Taylor Walker’s choreography is as good as anything currently gracing a West End Stage.
Overall though? This show wants to do for Mozart (or possibly his sister?) what Lin-Manuel Miranda did for Alexander Hamilton. Sadly for all concerned Miranda’s an infinitely better lyricist than Charli Eglinton, and knows his craft when it comes to structuring the book of a musical.
Director: Taylor Walker and Markus Olzinger
Book, Music, & Lyrics: Charli Eglinton
Cast includes: Jack Chambers, Aimie Atkinson, Erin Caldwell, Douglas Hansell, Jordan Luke Gage, Gloria Onitiri, Ebony Roy-Palmer, Sveva Bartolini, Alfie Simmons, Corey Mitchell, Harriette Benazir-White, Anu Ogunmefun
Dates: Booking to 30th August 2025
Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, including 15 minute interval
Date Seen: Tuesday 5th August 2025
Photo credit: Danny Kaan