Amadeus

“Jim Poulos plays Mozart not as the foul-mouthed idiot savant of the film but as a likable lightweight in whose real-life existence it is no great strain to believe.”

—Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal

‘Jim Poulos’ Amadeus is more nuanced than Mozart is usually portrayed. Of course he is energized, but Poulos also manifests an unspoken aura: His Amadeus somehow senses that he is the chosen one.”

—Dennis Brown, River Front Times

“What the play was truly better for–what it was outstanding for–was Poulos’ performance as Mozart. Brilliant, just brilliant. Expressive, fun, crass, desperate for his father’s approval, confident in his work, completely besotted by his wife, wistful for a more successful time as he loses all patronage (thanks to Salieri machinations), passionate about music as it is in his soul, weary and then accepting of Salieri’s friendship (and let’s not forget that wonderful infectious silly laugh–Poulos hit all the right notes (sorry for the pun–truly unintended but appropriate) as the complicated musical genius.”

—Bridget Klotz Kostello, the Stealth Critic

“Poulos’s descent from juvenile wildness to fevered madness charts a touching, plausible line.  Together, Long, Poulos and Stanley anchor director Paul Mason Barnes’ production, which also includes other sharp performances.”

—Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Equally as remarkable are the interpretations by the show’s focal actors.  Jim Poulos brings an extra dimension to Mozart with his own expert musicianship at the keyboards.  He also excels at showcasing the composer’s baser side as well as his naivete concerning Salieri, and soberly conveys Mozart’s alarming physical and financial decline.”

—Mark Bretz, Laude News

“Top 10 of 2009, St. Louis: Amadeus received a superior presentation by The Rep under Paul Mason Barnes precise and thorough direction, with marvelous performances by Andrew Long as Salieri, Jim Poulos as Mozart and Joe Hickey as the affable if intellectually challenged Emperor.”

—Laude News

“Jim Poulos as Mozart is remarkable, especially in Act II when he is shown sliding down the emotional slope to ruin that Salieri has so clandestinely plotted for him.”

—Harry Hamm KMOX-AM

“Jim Poulos as the bratty and hateful Mozart is outstanding. He too must move from this giddy know-it-all to a man driven mad by poison- literally and figuratively. His final moments are moving and poignant.’

—Steve Allen, KFUO-FM

“He says he is better than any other musician in Vienna … and we believe him.
Jim Poulos delivers an equally compelling performance as Mozart, the endearing idiot savant who is a giggling, “gibbering monkey” one minute, a dedicated artist the next. Although he gives the impression that life is one glorious party, we don’t doubt for a second his brilliance—especially during his rebuttal to the self-absorbed Emperor Joseph (Brad Heberlee) who complains Mozart’s opera has ‘too many notes’”

—Marcia Morphy, Democrat and Chronicle

“Jim Poulos as Mozart is frolicsome and naughty but equally convincing later in the play when the composer has lost much of his spirit and lives alone in poverty with only his need to write to keep him alive. Mozart says, “My tongue is stupid. …My heart isn’t,” and Poulos is never more effective than during a moving speech in which Mozart explains a composer’s responsibility.”

—Michael Lasser, Rochester City Newspaper