Category: Reviews

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

If you build it, they will come…

So goes the adage, but I have seen the future of Waikiki entertainment, and it’s Cirque du Soleil’s awesome and enchanting wizardry, entitled “‘Auana,” Hawaiian for “to wander, to drift from place to place.”

It’s a spectacle of visual and musical riches, which formally opens tonight (Dec. 18) at the Outrigger Theatre at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. I saw it Sunday (Dec.15) in one of the final preview stagings.

“‘Auana” is impressive and inventive, with  beaucoup  appeal to a global audience because of Cirque du Soleil’s years of splendid creations and track record. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give “‘Auana” an emphatic 10, a show that could possibly make the prevalent luau experience here obsolete. Not a threat, but a probability.

Its principal creators are Neil Doward, the director and co-creator of “‘Auana,” and Aaron J. Sala, the island-based cultural and creative producer for the show. They are the minds behind this miracle.

It’s a different, daring production with a pioneering style, created with its own bold, beautiful signature, and staged entirely in the Hawaiian language. “‘Auana” is chock full of  ‘olelo and mele, with a soundtrack that appears to be pre-recorded with perhaps a small orchestra performing live but performed by a vibrant and versatile ensemble of singers/dancers experiencing a fresh new journey amid a whirlpool of hula kahiko, lusciously bathed by a soundtrack that is enticing and energizing.

I wish I could be specific and share names and numbers of the spirited troupe, but the show – like other Cirque ventures elsewhere – appears to maintain a don’t ask, don’t tell policy.

Ten things worthy of your attention:

1— You don’t need to speak or understand Hawaiian, to “get” what is staged; the visuals are powerful, the staging incredible. You’ll quickly become acclimated to the rhythm of the vocabulary.

2— The choreography, by Hiwa Vaughan, is spirited, fresh, consuming; the dances will draw you into the moment, number after number. Her choreography is ravishing and revolutionary.

3— The striking costumes, by Manaola, are stunning, with designs that lure you into the dances, with swirls of fabric and  typhoons of styles and surely will make you yearn to buy a shirt or a dress with the prints you see. No can do; these are the show’s exclusive, original designs.

4— Traditional “circus” acts — like duos skating and twirling, acrobats teetering on spinning cages, a dude who balances on circular tins that spell potential danger, aerial acrobats without fear of heights – prove that “Wicked” isn’t the only show Defying Gravity; these troupers are awesome, and they complement the ensemble of singers/dancers.

5— I particularly adored “Over the Rainbow,” translated and sung with wizardry and wonderment; the solo singer delivered the Hawaiian lyrics while an artist sketched on an oversized canvas, the huge backdrop where there are changing visuals. The art piece comprised a beautiful colorful rainbow accent at the tune’s finale.  This was  one of two non-Hawaiian tunes that works in translation.

6— There’s a delightful audience participation instance, utilizing a second borrowed melody, the “Hawaii Five-O” theme song, where gents played invisible drums, trumpet and flute, gleefully projecting the aloha spirit. You want to shout, “Book ‘em, Danno,” in Hawaiian, natch.

7—There’s valid Hawaiian pageantry, beginning with natives navigating the seas, catching fish, and eventual embracing the growth of a visitor industry. In storytelling, there is a beginning, middle, and an ending, and this journey embraces distinctive and indelible memories.

8—One especially engaging stunt involved a chap fixated with an oversized balloon/ball, gets “swallowed” by the sphere, begins to take off his shirt and trousers and tossing them out, yet eventually and methodically bounces himself out from the pliable gizmo. It’s not Hawaiian, but it’s hip!

9— Other modern motifs involved smaller balls, bobbed to and fro, from performers to the observers in the audience. The mood was casual, like  beach ball fun, minus the sand. I recall a similar playful interaction in Broadway’s “SpongeBob” musical a couple of years ago, utilizing humongous bounce balls.

10—You don’t mess with Pele, and “‘Auana” bypasses – wisely – any lava reference to avoid controversy. If you watch carefully, however, there is a moment of volcanic action. You don’t need an eruption. Period.

Advisories, if you attend:

• Show times: 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
• Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes; there is no intermission.
• Tickets: Varies with playdates; call (877) 773-6470. Kamaaina and VIP Experience rates available.
• Bathrooms are outside of the showroom, so you should “go” before curtain time.
• Once the show starts, audience members should not go up and down stairs or walkways because the dancing/singing cast constantly utilize these steps and hallways in darkness. Safety is assured only if viewers stay put.
• Snacks (like caramel  popcorn, sold in plastic cups with peel-off covers) and soft drinks and bar drinks like wine don’t come with clip-on covers but should;  there are convenient drink holders in the front of your seat. Bottled water comes with caps.
• Handicapped service is not defined, at least when I attended. Escalator access is the norm;  as a walker user, I had to use elevator service to get to the showroom level; the walker was taken by an attendant at the showroom, after I was seated, and I was told that someone would bring over the walker at the end of the performance; it didn’t happen. Another walker and a wheelchair user had similar issues. We had to wait till the whole room was vacant to retrieve the access needs. Not good…

And that’s Show Biz…