NOVEMBER 24, 1995 GAY PEOPLE's Chronicle 21

EVENINGS OUT

An opera queen's homage to a queen of opera

Master Class

by Terrence McNally

Golden Theatre, New York

Reviewed by Barry Daniels

Master Class is Terrence McNally's homage to the diva of divas, Maria Callas, and it provides Zoe Caldwell with the role of a lifetime. It is a glittering entertainment that casts the audience as observers of a master class with the world's greatest soprano.

The play is set in a small recital hall in New York. The elegant neo-classical room (designed by Michael McGarty) has a grand piano and a work table set up for Callas. Things begin casually as rehearsal pianist Manny Weinstock enters and gets ready for the class. Before the house lights dim, Caldwell makes a sweeping entrance and engages in banter with the audience.

During the course of the evening Callas will work with two sopranos and one tenor, and she will reflect on art and reminisce about her own past. Although McNally doesn't have much original to say either about art or Callas's life, he succeeds in creating a vivid character who convinces us she is a genius. This is a woman who fascinates us with her passionate convictions and amuses us with her haughty wit.

Caldwell's performance embodies what McNally has Callas describe as "not acting, but feeling and believing.". It is a virtuoso turn and will surely be the crown in Caldwell's illustrious career. For three hours she becomes Callas. We watch her every reaction to the students she is working with. McNally writes riveting flashbacks that dredge up key moments in Callas's professional and private life: her La Scala debut; her relationship with her manager and husband, Menghini;

Zoe Caldwell as Maria Callas.

her affair with Onassis, an abortion, and his betrayal. In these flashbacks Caldwell-who plays both Callas and her partners-pours out emotion that is almost as strong as the music that provoked Callas's reveries. In one memorable scene working with a student on Lady Macbeth by Verdi, Caldwell speaks the aria with such dramatic force that we are convinced we've heard Callas sing it.

McNally's writing in Master Class is confident and sharp. He has used deft strokes to sketch in the play's other characters. Manny, the accompanist (played by David Loud) is nervous and in awe of the diva. The first student, Sophie De Palma (Karen Kay Cody), is a hopelessly vulgar canary who will learn nothing from Callas. Anthony Candolinó (Jay Hunter Morris) possesses a beautiful voice. He is touchingly honest in his desire to be a great tenor. Sharon Graham (Audra

Mix and mingle at this holiday songfest

by Doreen Cudnik

Thursday, December 14 will be a grand night for musical theatre as well as a grand night for mixing and mingling with the staff of the Gay People's Chronicle and Cleveland's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. The lobby of the Cleveland Play

Andrea Bechert and Trent Bright.

House's Brooks Theatre will be adorned with holiday decorations and provides a perfect backdrop for a holiday portrait of two people in love. Chronicle photographer Barbara Bodemer will be on hand to capture the moment for those who would like to have a photograph of themselves and their loved one this holiday season.

Love and romance is the theme for the night, as the cast of five people (two men and three women) will be presenting the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein in "A Grand Night for Singing," part one of a new musical cabaret series at the Play House, "Uptown at the Brooks."

Although the love represented will be primarily of the heterosexual variety, scenic and lighting designer Andrea Bechert said that the themes in the play are universal. “I think the whole show is about falling in love, and everybody falls in love whether they are straight or

gay. It's about the magic of love, and that's what we're trying to capture," she said.

Bechert, an openly lesbian woman working in a field dominated by men, said that her professional path has not been clear of challenges and opposition. "It's a hard field for women to break in to, because to be a good set designer you need to have some knowledge

about construction, and that has always been perceived as a man's job. [Set design] has typically been a man's profession, just like costume design has typically been perceived as a woman's profession. But I think we're breaking down some doors an a lot has changed. I thank the women who paved the way before me."

A graduate of Ohio University in Athens with a masters degree in scenic design and costume design, Bechert currently makes her home in San Francisco.

Cast member Trent Bright is originally from Idaho and has been doing summer stock theatre since he was twelve. He did his voice training at the University of California Irvine before moving to New York where he continued to study with private instructors. That the show is set in modern times, Bright said, is a testament to the timelessness of Rodgers and Hammerstein's work.

"The songs are reinterpreted for today," Bright said. "It's like putting Shakespeare in modern times. What you're really saying is that the message is just as valid today as it was 400 years ago. It's the same with the golden age of theatre and today. And hopefully soon, we'll have another golden age."

Tickets for Chronicle night at the Cleveland Play House can be purchased by calling 216-795-7000. The $30 ticket price includes the show, refreshments (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) and hors d'oeuvres in the Play House Club following the performance. ♡

McDonald) has talent and fire and inspires the most passion from her teacher.

There are no false moves in Leonard Foglia's artfully simple staging. All the play's emotional moments are carefully orchestrated, and McNally's rich humor adds warmth to the material. There is a gracefulness to the fact that despite the monumental presence of Caldwell each of the other actors has an opportunity to command the stage. All the performances are accomplished and affecting. Projections are used effectively to transform the space during the flashback sequences.

OPEN

Monday & Wednesday 9am-7pm Tuesday & Friday 9am-6pm Saturday 9-3

Beneath the polished surface and theatrical bravura of Master Class, McNally's passionate belief in Callas's art burns brightly. This is not McNally's most profound work, and, in fact I found its attempts at profundity rather ponderous, but it is a richly satisfying and immensely entertaining evening of theatre. Master Class has both style and passion; it represents a kind of glamour that is fairly rare on Broadway these days. It will surely enjoy a long run at New York's Golden Theatre where it is performed Tue-Sat at 8 pm, Wed and Sat at 2 pm, and Sun at 3 pm. Tickets can be reserved by calling 212-239-6200.

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