‘Master Class’ is a tale of the original diva
By Ashley Shah
“Master Class” is a co-production between Scripps Ranch Theatre and The Roustabouts Theatre Co. The play will run from Nov. 14 to Dec. 14 on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sundays during the day at the Scripps Ranch Theatre location, 9783 Avenue of Nations.
“This production is about the original diva, Maria Callas. Maria Callas was and is one of the most famous opera singers,” director Phil Johnson said.
This story takes place in New York at The Juilliard School in the 1970s when Maria is at the end of her career teaching a master class for opera singers.
“At the beginning, we see her outward persona as she is teaching. However, what ends up happening is that she kind of gets distracted and goes within her mind. She starts reflecting on her life as she is teaching,” Johnson said. “We end up seeing how she has had a hard life; her family did not love her. She has just been dumped by Aristotle Onassis. She has a lot of trauma. So, really we are learning where this creative, artistic force comes from. How did she achieve such success? What does it take to be a trailblazer?”
The genre of this show is a comedy drama with music.
“Maria is funny. She makes a lot of wise cracks at her students,” Johnson said.
Maria Callas is played by local actress Sandy Campbell.
The production includes four additional characters.
Kyle Blair plays Callas’ opera accompanist, named Manny.
“He is a very nice guy who tries to do his job for a difficult person, Maria,” Johnson said.
Sophie, played by Abigail Allwein, is one of Maria’s students – or as Maria likes to say, “victims.”
“She plays the sweet, unassuming opera singer. She kind of gets destroyed by Maria’s criticism,” Johnson said.
The second “victim” is Antonio, played by Ben Read.
“He is a cocky, male student. He thinks he knows everything. Maria really puts him in his place,” Johnson said.
The last student is Sharon, played by Sara Frondoni.
“She comes in, and she is the closest to Callas. She even dresses like her. Maria feels threatened by her. They get off on a bad start,” Johnson said. “Sharon ends up singing a very hard song, and Maria at the end of the performance gives her a hard time. Sharon leaves the room crying, and Maria is left to explain to the audience why she acted that way toward her student.”
The way she interacts with the students while reflecting on her life is a major part of the experience of the show.
“The students come in expecting a little bit of feedback, but they get a lot more. She goes right to the heart of their personality. She says everything that is on her mind, without a care for their feelings. But, we get to see why she is like that. It comes from her family and being alone,” Johnson said.
The actors and actresses in this production are all opera professionals.
“The caliber of the singers is so high. This is going to be a very special experience of seeing in a very small jewel box theatre, the music opera experience like you have never seen up close. You get to know their voices much more intimately,” Johnson said.
He explained some challenges he faced while putting this production together.
“The casting was hard because finding people who were this good to play people who would be at Juilliard, the best opera school in the country, was hard,” Johnson said. “But, on the other hand, it is a very technical show. When Maria goes into her mind, she is reliving her hardest moments. There are projections on the wall that show the people who have made her life difficult. She is having conversations with these people, and trying to make sense of that. Putting everything together, the music and tech, has been hard, but worth it.”
Johnson described what he hopes the audience gains from this production.
“She (Maria Callas) is someone who gave us so much in terms of art. There is not such a focus on art today. There are going to be a lot of people who do not know who she is. It is my goal to really remind people that there have been great artists before Beyonce – people who have left us important things and paved the way for art today,” he said.
“We are so lucky because we are selling out, so buy your tickets soon. This is going to be a very special performance,” Johnson said.
For more information, visit scrippsranchtheatre.com.