Michael Sheen is set to return to the West End in a revival of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play Amadeus, starring opposite Callum Scott Howells as Mozart. The production, directed by Jeremy Herrin, will premiere at the New Theatre Cardiff in March 2027 before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre in London for a 16-week run beginning in April. This marks the first major revival of Shaffer's play in over a decade.
Sheen's Full-Circle Moment
Sheen will take on the role of court composer Antonio Salieri, a part he previously performed in Sydney in 2022. Interestingly, he portrayed Mozart in both West End and Broadway productions in the late 1990s. The production reunites him with Howells, following their collaboration on the BBC drama The Way. Sheen described the experience as a "full-circle moment," adding that performing alongside Howells "feels very special." Howells, making his debut as Mozart, called the opportunity a "dream come true."
Historic Welsh Collaboration
This production is notable for being the first time two Welsh actors have played Salieri and Mozart in the same production. It is a co-production between Second Half Productions and the Welsh National Theatre, which Sheen established in 2025 with his own funds, serving as founding artistic director. This will be the company's first West End staging. Herrin, founder of Second Half Productions, expressed his delight in working on "this legendary and beloved play" with Sheen, whom he considers "one of the world's best."
Plot and Tickets
Set in Vienna in 1820, Amadeus follows Salieri as he reflects on his rivalry with Mozart, a composer whose talent he believes is divinely inspired. As admiration turns to envy, the play charts Salieri's growing obsession and destructive campaign against the man he both reveres and resents. Tickets for the production go on general sale on 24 April.
