Diamond Head Theatre’s “Master Class” — a Terrence McNally comedy-drama about real-life diva Maria Callas instructing operatic singers on the how’s and why’s of delivering an aria — is both masterful and classy.
Though it features music, it is not a musical. Though it is occasionally hilarious, it is not a comedy per se. What it is, is a drama reimagining and reenacting Callas, the famed and often feared opera legend, as she conducts classes for two wanna-be opera sopranos and one tenor. It’s instructive, illuminating and inspirational.
Director Bryce Chaddick stages the one-set show in front of a luxurious curved, 11-panel spectacle of warm wood (a splendid creation by set designer Randy Tandal), with lighting designed by Dawn Oshima (right and bright). Midway through the production, the stage becomes La Scala, thanks to a vintage projection of the tiered seating. It’s a stunning high point of staging magic produced by a team of theatrical artists.
The acting is wonderful, too. Amy K. Sullivan is superb as Callas; she delivers her lines as monologues that reel off like conversations. You can envision the diva in action: chatty, charming and challenging her students to strive, drive and arrive at her level of expectation. She roars like a lion, often demeaning but not vicious. She has plenty of thoughts, one of the memorable being her stern advice: “You don’t have a look. You look very nice, I’m sure you are. You look very clean, very comme il faut (proper in etiquette and behavior) but you don’t have a look. Get one, as quickly as possible.
Her look is alternately proper and demanding, soldiering through the sessions seeking hope and brilliance from her students, finding just a skosh of the kind of talent she once was. Ya don’t find pearls in all the oysters you seek.
Georgine Stark is Sophie de Palma, the first soprano; she is fearful, gritty, but inexperienced, so eager to learn.
Anna Young is Sharon Graham, the second soprano; she is ambitious, somewhat thick-skinned, and overdressed in a gown that reflects obvious innocence. Callas promptly tells her, “Don’t wear anything like that before midnight at the earliest, and certainly not to class.”
Kasey Nahlovksy is Anthony “Tony” Candolini, the tenor; he has an obvious ego, occasionally begging for Callas’ thunderous responses, but he nonetheless delivers a solid voice.
David Young is Emmanuel “Manny” Weinstock, the accompanist who has worked with Callas before, endures the sass from Callas; and the aforementioned Tandal is the stagehand, who is commanded to bring Callas water, footstool and a cushion, fetching stuff like a trained pet.
What to look for:
- Callas’ inherent pride of conquest with her students, but with a veneer of vulnerability. She is somewhat a monstrous leading lady, now reduced to instructional icon, but she retains her glorious past. In one instance, he remembers, fittingly, that she was at the top of her form, thanks to her vocal cords. “That’s who I am; this voice,” she bellows, and yup, her voice defined her fame.
- Her propriety and her ways of the past: in her initial appearance in the audition hall at Juilliard, she “shushes” the spectators – the live audience in the theater, and thus the audience witnessing her theatrics – to halt applause and hoots of her past fame.
- That jewel of a stage design – simply perfection – is the basic background for the diva and her students. A circular magnifying glass adorns one sector of the stage; two curtains drop, separating on-stage action, and are part of the savvy, clean, and effective staging.
What to listen for:
- The arias featured in the instructional moments: Sophie’s number is “Oh! Se Una Volta Sola…Ah! Non Credea Mirarti,” from Bellini’s “La Sonnambula;” Sharon’s selection is “Nel Di Della Vittoria…Vieni! T’Affretta!” from Verdi’s “MacBeth;” and Tony’s tune is “Recondita Armonia,” from Puccini’s “Tosca.”
- Though Calla’s voice is dormant as the resident master, her recorded voice onstage is heard in that splendid moment where she recalls she’s delivering an aria in the projected concert hall as she mimics The Moment. The applause is warranted.
What/who to cheer:
- Other triumphs among the technical crew – costume design by Kanani Sato (bravo, for Callas’ pants-and-top garb, accented by a lengthy scarf); sound design by Mike Minor (clear, and on point), props design by Kyle Conner (stark, simple, comprising a desk and a chair), hair and make-up design by Mia Yoshimoto (suitable for the era of the ‘70s, but looks like now).
- The one-man “orchestra:” Young, the aforementioned pianist, who provides class-worthy accompaniment and supportive opening comments about Callas’ conduct and expectations.
Further notations:
- I saw the original “Master Class,” staged at the Golden Theatre in 1995, and the play won 1996 Tony Awards, including Zoe Caldwell ( Best Actress in a play, for her portrayal of Maria Callas) and Audra McDonald (Best Featured Actress, enacting Sharon) and McNally scored the Best Play trophy.
- The plot is said to include antics of other divas of the period (Leontyne Price, Renata Scotto, and even possibly Joan Sutherland) and also features segments mentioning Aristotle Onassis, with whom Callas actually had an affair, but he moved on to Jackie Kennedy.
Curiously, “Master Class” goes down in history as a portrait of an operatic diva, whose luminous life and times included master-classing, who chats about singing, focuses on the art of singing, but doesn’t perform a single live note herself in this vehicle…
And that’s Show Biz…
‘Master Class’
What: A play by Terrence McNally, about Maria Callas and the master classes she headed, staged by Diamond Head Theatre
Showtimes: At 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays and 3 p.m. Saturdays, through Feb. 9
Tickets: $41 through $68, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com and (808) 733-0274
Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, with intermission