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| Photo by Richard De Chazal |
Written by Terrence
McNally
Directed by Adam
Spreadbury-Maher
Produced by Andrew
Kay
The Playhouse,
Canberra Theatre Centre to 24 February
Reviewed by Len Power 22 February 2018
Whether you were interested in opera or not, the name Maria
Callas was known to everyone in the second half of the 20th
Century. Born in New York, USA, she received
her musical training in Greece. She made
her professional debut in 1941 in Athens but her operatic career was
subsequently established in Italy. Her
career was over by 1965, cut short many say by a weight loss regime that
affected her vocal technique.
Callas was as famous for her beauty, her temperamental behaviour
during and after her career, and her affair with Aristotle Onassis, as she was
for her singing and acting of the great operatic roles. She is still one of classical music's
best-selling vocalists.
Terrence McNally’s 1995 play, ‘Master Class’, presents a
fictional master class at New York’s Juilliard School by opera singer Maria
Callas near the end of her life in the 1970s.
As Maria Callas, Amanda Muggleton shows every facet of this fascinating
woman in later life. She’s demanding of
all around her, tough and intimidating on the surface and unintentionally funny
at times. As the play progresses, we
begin to see the real woman underneath – a deeply unhappy person battered by the
demands of her opera career and her personal life in the international spotlight. Muggleton is quite simply extraordinary in
the role and the effect of her performance lingers long after the show is over.
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| Kala Gare and Amanda Muggleton - photo by Dom Northcott |
The three singers – or ‘victims’, as Callas refers to them -
all give fine performances, too. The two
sopranos arguably represent the early, overweight Callas and her later
transformation into a stylish beauty and the sexy tenor is a symbol of the men
in Callas’s life. Kala Gare nicely plays
the modern, good-looking young soprano doing her best to please Callas. Jessica Boyd displays excellent comic timing
as the over-weight soprano in a flamboyant wedding cake dress and Tomas Dalton
is a handsome, super-confident young tenor who thinks his maleness and
over-familiarity will win Callas over.
All three sing superbly as well.
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| Jessica Boyd and Amanda Muggleton - photo by Dom Northcott |
Dobbs Franks, who has had a brilliant career internationally
as a conductor, gives a nicely quiet performance as the piano accompanist who
copes well with Callas’s demands and Ben Howlett, in the small role of a stagehand,
uses body language to good comic effect to display an uncaring attitude.
Adam Spreadbury-Maher has directed the show with a clarity
and simplicity of design, keeping the focus on the people. Even if you’re not interested in opera, you’ll
be as fascinated by Callas as we all were in the 20th century.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7’s ‘On Stage’ program on Mondays from
3.30pm and on ‘Artcetera’ from 9.00am on Saturdays.