The team behind smash hit 'Amadeus' returns for 'The Visit' at Pasadena Playhouse

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Set us as preferred What do you do when a creative team mounts an acclaimed production of a beloved play, breaking box office records as one of the most successful shows in your theater’s more than 100-year history? For the Pasadena Playhouse, the answer was clear.You get them back on the boards as soon as possible — say, six months later.Which is how it came to pass that more than a dozen creatives behind Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus,” including director Darko Tresnjak and actor Jefferson Mays, have returned to the historic theater for a new production of Swiss dramatist Fredrich Dürrenmatt’s revenge tragicomedy “The Visit,” running through Oct.

4.“It feels like we just cleaned out our dressing rooms and we’re moving back in,” notes Mays.“Amadeus,” which ended its run in April, was a critical and box office hit, so popular that after tickets were gone, additional shows were added — which also quickly sold out.Danny Feldman, producing artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse, puts it simply: “Theater is a team sport, and when you’ve got a winning team, you want to keep playing together.”It was during tech for “Amadeus” that Tresnjak told Feldman of his love for “The Visit,” which he first directed in college.

“I quite literally found my calling in life because of it,” says Tresnjak.Feldman was also a fan — of both the play and working with Tresnjak — and quickly scheduled the show for the new season.“Our job is to give artists a home where they can stretch and take risks,” says Feldman.

“Audiences got to experience this artistic synchronicity during ‘Amadeus,’ and we’re so excited they get to deepen their relationship with these artists as they watch ‘The Visit.’ ”The respect is mutual.Mays, who has won almost every major theater award in existence includi...