I’ve been asked if we chose to present Terrance McNally’s Master Class to coincide with the release of the Angelina Jolie film, Maria. Understandable, since both detail the life of legendary opera singer Maria Callas, but the answer is no, it’s purely coincidental. But a very lucky coincidence for DHT.
The truth is that we chose to present this brilliant play, one of the most successful and critically acclaimed of the 1990’s, because it hasn’t been seen on the Diamond Head Theatre stage since 1998, and it’s time to share it with another generation of theatregoers.
The late playwright Terrance McNally has been described as “the bard of American theatre” because of his six-decade career writing plays, (Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Love! Valour! Compassion!), musicals (The Full Monty, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime) and even operas. He was the recipient of 5 Tony Awards including Best Play for his 1995 Broadway production of Master Class. Since his passing in 2020 it’s been our wish to honor his legacy, but a little thing called Covid compelled us to put it off until now, and now is the right time for Master Class.
Now, you may not be an opera fan and think you’d find nothing to interest you in a play about Maria Callas teaching a Master Class to opera students. But this isn’t just a play about opera, it’s about the adjustments we have to make when we’re no longer at our peak, when we are forced to accept that after climbing to the top of the mountain, the only remaining option is to go back down. It’s about resilience, determination, failure and sometimes regret. And unexpectedly, it is also very, very funny. Maria Callas’ life was not just about opera, it was about love, ambition, adulation, humor and abandonment. And since you, the theatre patron, are cast as the Master Class students, you will be privy to the amazing journey of La Divina’s private and professional life.
During the lengthy original Broadway run, the role of Maria Callas was played by a succession of legendary actresses including Zoe Caldwell (Tony Award), Patti Lupone, and Dixie Carter (of Designing Women fame). A national tour starred Faye Dunaway, and Tyne Daly led a 2011/2012 revival on Broadway and London’s West End. For our current DHT production, the role of Maria is being played by an actress just as multitalented and mesmerizing as those esteemed actresses, Amy K. Sullivan. Equally at home in both musicals and non-musicals, her performance is so electric and multi- faceted that you’ll forget you’re watching a play, and believe you’re actually attending a master class. Supporting her is one of the strongest and most talented casts in recent history, some of whom will be very familiar to our audiences, including Georgine Stark as Sophie de Palma, Anna Young (Eliza in DHT’s My Fair Lady) as Sharon Graham, Kasey Nahlovsky as Tony Candolino, David Young (Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me, Kate and Anna Young’s husband) as Manny the Accompanist, and a special performance by our DHT Scenic Production Assistant and designer of the Master Class set, Randy Tandal as the Stagehand. The cast has been warned that at any given performance Randy may indeed steal the show.
From the beginning I’ve only had one Director in mind for this production, Bryce Chaddick. His past directorial credits for DHT, Matilda the Musical, Murder on the Orient Express and last season’s My Fair Lady, have all been creative, insightful, professional and inspiring. A stickler for detail, he’s spent countless hours researching the life of Maria Callas, the shape and design of recital classrooms and even bought season tickets to the San Francisco Opera to immerse himself in the world of opera. It is a true pleasure to have him back at DHT and at the helm of this production.
Due to scheduling, Master Class will not be extending beyond it’s initial run, so don’t miss the opportunity to experience this brilliant, funny and engrossing production. You might even come away from it as an opera fan!
John Rampage
