|
MASTER CLASS. By Terrence McNally. With Dixie Carter, Theodora Fried, Gerald Steichen, Wally Dunn, Alaine Rodin-Lo and Jay Hunter Morris. Set by Michael McGarty. Costumes by Jane Greenwood. Directed by Leonard Foglia. At the Golden.
Master Class, Terrence McNally's ode to opera, theater and, of course, Maria Callas, is now in the capable hands of Dixie Carter. Midway through the first act, Carter cradles her face in her hand. Her feline, seductive eyes make her look uncannily like Callas.
Much of McNally's script shows Callas, the diva turned teacher, in an abrasive or catty mood, which, not surprisingly, the former Designing Women star handles with aplomb.
What is most impressive about her characterization is the reservoir of emotion she draws on in the two great monologues McNally has written toward the close of each act, in which Callas shares her most searing memories as the voice of the actual Callas is heard in the background.
At the end of the first act, she reminisces about her life with Aristotle Onassis. There is something funny about how contemptuous Onassis was of opera and the people who loved opera.
The corollary was that he was also contemptuous of her, and it is interesting that he was probably the one person who could have taken her out of this rarefied kingdom and made her a figure on the world stage.
The second-act monologue is about her poignant husband, who devoted himself to her wholeheartedly and whom she treated callously. (Note how studiously I have avoided the obvious pun.)
Carter emerges from both monologues with tears streaming down her cheeks, and she makes the speeches themselves extremely moving.
She is at her best when she confronts a cocky tenor (still played with enormous bravado and even greater musicianship by Jay Hunter Morris). His temperament brings out her steeliness in all its glory.
The Callas that McNally brings to the stage is, of course, only part of the historical figure. The more the actress can suggest a complex life offstage, the more the role gains in stature. Carter has brought great intelligence and strength to the role. She has captured McNally's Callas sharply, and the more she projects Callas' Callas, the better she will be.
In addition to Morris, she has strong support in Theodora Fried and Alaine Rodin-Lo as her other two "victims." Wally Dunn captures the humor of a surly stagehand beautifully, and Gerald Steichen is unusually impressive as the accompanist, performing the introduction to the Bellini aria with great power.
Back to Theatre Press
|
