Amadeus has been a play, a movie, and written in a book. If I were to adapt this play into a medium that it has not been previously used, I would make it a podcast but with a twist. There have been videos popping up on my social media feed of podcasts, but you can see the people talking into the microphone. You can see their facial expressions and body language. I have noticed that these videos seemed to be really popular today, so I would use this medium to make Amadeus more appealing to modern audiences. I feel like it would be a fun way to portray the characters and the story.
It would be aired as a streaming series. Each scene could be a different episode. The host of the “podcast” would be Salieri, and he would “invite” the different characters onto the podcast. All of the characters would remain the same. They would look the same, and have the same names, but the story would be set in modern times.
The “podcast” would be set in a room with audio equipment. You would be able to see the microphones the characters were using, and the characters would be wearing headphones like in a recording studio.
I think this medium would be extremely effective because of the popularity of other videos using this medium. I think Amadeus the podcast would give off The Office vibes. The Office is an extremely popular tv show. The show’s last episode aired over ten years ago, but people still watch it today.
Using this medium will allow a different view of the events in Amadeus, but it can incorporate almost all of the events from the original play. There might be difficulty incorporating scenes where Salieri eavesdrops on Mozart and Constanze, but if there is, those scenes can be replaced by others that convey the same message.
I think it would be really funny if everything was modern except the characters themselves. I think they should dress, and talk like they lived long ago. I think it would be really funny to see them wearing headphones over their powdered wigs.
Most of the aspects of the play can be modernized. For example, instead of dying of syphilis, Mozart could get COVID-19, and die from that.
Because the “podcast” would be filmed in an audio studio, scenes like parties, and performances would have to happen off camera. Despite this, the characters would still be able to talk about the events after the fact. In this medium, Salieri would have to narrate a lot more than he did in the play. An example of this would be the scene after Mozart’s performance that made fun of the Guild. Salieri would open by being like “Last night Mozart did this… let’s bring our esteemed guest… to talk about it.” There could also be scenes where Salieri brings two different characters on the “podcast” and they argue about various things.
This production of Amadeus would not be a very serious show. I think it would be fun to have a comedic spin on this tragic story. I think it would make it very popular.