Jefferson Mays Is An Acting Genius

“Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“Talent is able to hit a target nobody else can hit. Genius is able to hit a target nobody else can see.” -Arthur Schopenhauer

“I enjoy being surprised – indeed, often ambushed – by a role.” -Jefferson Mays

“All would be lost, however, without Mays’ quicksilver brilliance — the way he can shift from savage irony to vindictive rage to godless despair in the space of a line. Salieri may be a mediocrity, destined to be a footnote in the short yet indelible life of Mozart. But in the coterie world of theater connoisseurs, Mays has earned a place among acting immortals.” -Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times

“I looked on astounded as from his ordinary life he made his art. We were both ordinary men, he and I. Yet from the ordinary he created Legends–and I from Legends created only the ordinary!” Amadeus by Peter Shaffer

Speaking of inexplicable genius, add Jefferson Mays to that list. His performance as Salieri in Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Amadeus was incredible. Otherworldly. Next level greatness. Easily in my top five stage performances of all-time. (Now he has two in there. This and his one-person performance of A Christmas Carol which I saw twice at the Geffen in 2018.)

Every element of this Pasadena Playhouse production is extraordinary. Some of the best production design across the board that you’ll ever see and the entire ensemble is in top form. But it is Mays’ performance that will leave you scratching your head going, “How in the world did he just pull that off?”

We had a Vs. Tuesday Night Live outing to see the show yesterday. Afterwards, out on the Playhouse courtyard, several people expressed exactly what I was thinking. Not only was Mays’ unreal good, but it’s only Tuesday night and he left everything out on that stage. He still has seven performance remaining this week! SEVEN! How will he pull it off?

Again. Genius. You can’t explain it. You’re just grateful when you encounter it.

That is, unless you’re Salieri.

Don’t miss this one. Here’s the link for tix/info.