For Three Mozart in the Jungle Stars, It’s (Not) All About the Music

With season three of the Golden Globe-winning Mozart in the Jungle premiering on Amazon Prime next week, we wanted to know how much it matters if viewers are classical music enthusiasts to “get” the show’s incredibly hilarious (and sophisticated) premise.

“I’m on the show and I don’t know that much about classical music,” says Lola Kirke, who plays Hailey, the ever-aspiring oboist, in the half-hour comedic drama based on the critically acclaimed memoir Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs & Classical Music by Blair Tindall. “But what the series does is show that classical musicians aren’t different from any other f-ups in the world and that actually there’s quite a rock-n-roll aspect to classical music.”

In fact, the series, which draws back the curtain on the fictional New York Symphony and a world of music, where artistic dedication and creativity collide with mind games, politicking and survival instincts, could apply to many artists, not just classical musicians.

“The series is about being passionate and about having delusions of grandeur,” Kirke says. “I think these things aren’t unique to classical music.”

The long-awaited third season kicks off in the midst of a grand Italian adventure, one that Bernadette Peters, who plays Gloria, the orchestra’s general manager, calls a “beautiful” start to the series and features Placido Domingo.

“I love that in this time in the world, the show isn’t dark,” Peters says. “It’s original, it’s not fluff, but we don’t go to a dark place just for the sake of going to a dark place.”

With sweeping plot twists and turns (and a healthy dose of intrigue) the show has become a fan favorite, especially among musicians.

“I hear all the time how much classical musicians love the show and that for once they’re represented,” says Malcolm McDowell, who plays Thomas Pembridge, a former maestro and longtime conductor of the show’s fictional symphony. “Even the maestros love it. Michael Tilson Thomas is a great fan of the show as is [Gustavo] Dudamel. He even appeared on our show.”

In the end, it’s the writing that excites the cast the most.

“It’s brilliantly written and our writers and producers are A-list film people,” McDowell says. “It’s really quality stuff. Really you start there and end there.”

And if the series captures the interests of young people, all the better.

“If we can, by being a fun show, bring a few young people to classical music then I think job well done,” McDowell says. “Let’s face it: It is the basis of all music. The Beatles’ favorite composer was Beethoven so there you are. From what I understand, it’s hard to get young people interested in classical music but, once they’re in, they’re captivated.”