Review: MASTER CLASS at Music Theatre Of Connecticut

Terrence McNally’s powerful Master Class opens the Music Theatre of Connecticut’s 38th mainstage season. We mean powerful – the book, the performances, the lighting, the sound – everything to make your afternoon or evening theater experience extraordinary.

Whether or not you like opera, Maria Callas’s lessons in Master Class are applicable to artists of all genres and people who are not artistically inclined. Callas’s love of opera is so passionate and protective that she wants all her students in her master class to be able to perform their best and to do justice to the story and to the composer. “The composer is G-d,” she believes. To her, every detail is essential, even the accompanist’s choice of clothing. “It’s important to have a look…get one as quickly as possible,” she demands.

And Callas (impressively played by Irene Glezos) is demanding. Not just of the pianist, Manny (Zachary Anderson). Her first student is Sophie de Palma (Emily Solo), who comes unprepared to the class. She’s wearing an outfit that is inappropriate for a serious opera singer. She doesn’t even bring a pencil with her. Here, Callas brings up her poor childhood during World War II when people had to choose between buying “a pencil or an orange.” That pencil was crucial for an opera singer because the notes can be used again in the future. Of course, Callas interrupts Sophie multiple times to get her to listen to the music, to understand the words, the feel the character’s emotions, and to engage the audience because “all these people judge you.” She sums it up, “Everyone knew what I was talking about when I was singing.” Sophie, sensitive and naïve, finds following her advice hard and gets understandably nervous. Callas maintains that “Nerves have destroyed more singers than bad teachers.” She reminds her not to imitate her. “I’m who I am…. Find out who you are. I’m not a performing seal.” Then she warns her, “You have to have eyes in the back of your head,” referring to her rivals. That’s a lot to take in, especially for her first student.

In Act II, Sharon Graham (Heidi Giberson) her second student, comes in bursting with self-confidence and wearing a stunning low-cut evening gown. Callas berates her choice of clothing. “The stage, the theatre is a holy place,” she explains. She comments on how she makes her entrance as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth. The scene calls for her to be reading a letter with good news, but Sharon’s interpretation is lame. “This is your stage. Own it,” directs Callas. Sharon walks off the stage. After she fails to return, Tony Candolino (Constantine Pappas), a tenor comes in for his lesson. He is confident, then defiant about Callas’s demands. After she admonishes him for not doing his homework about the part, he becomes humble because he realizes the value of learning from Callas.

Sharon comes back to the stage for her lesson. “An entrance is everything,” Callas reminds her. “It’s how we present ourselves to the audience.” Sharon, like the other students, doesn’t understand that singing beautifully is not enough. Callas asks if she read Macbeth, and Sharon’s response is, yes, in high school. “I’m not an actress,” she tells Callas, who then scolds her that Verdi read it and understood it. “There are no shortcuts in life,” Callas tells her, and then guides her thorough the scene and its meanings for Lady Macbeth. But Sharon does not appreciate her advice and insults her by telling Callas that she can’t sing anymore and is “envious of everyone else who can.” Sharon then walks off the stage for good.

Almost imperceptibly, but she draws on every bit of resilience and power she has developed over the years as if they were a champion’s muscles. She certainly had pain and self-doubts. During the play she remembered feeling insecure about her appearance because she wore thick glasses and had bad skin. She was convinced that people close to her, including her singing teacher, wanted her to fail. But she pursued her ambition to become a great opera singer. “I have everyone where I want them….my revenge.” She also recalls with poignancy her relationship with Aristotle Onassis, who used her to elevate his position in society. It was another rejection she overcame. “I learned the hard way. A performance is a struggle. You have to win. The audience is the enemy…. Dominate them!”

You see? Master Class isn’t just for opera lovers. It’s for everyone. These are inspiring life lessons taught by someone who rose to the top of her world. And this production of Master Class, superbly directed by Kevin Connors, would do both McNally and Callas proud. Glezos has the audience in the palm of her hand. Solo, Giberson, and Pappas have exceptional singing voices. Anderson is on stage all the time as the pianist, playing beautifully and interacting verbally with Callas. Jim Schilling almost steals the first scene as the stagehand with his reactions to Callas’s demands for her comfort and convenience. It just goes to show, there are no small parts, unless an actor trivializes them. RJ Romeo’s lighting and projection design perfectly complement Jon Damast’s sound designs and scenic design by April M. Bartlett with assistance from Arielle Silbert. Diane Vanderkroef’s costumes were perfect for every character. Abbey Murray made things go smoothly as stage manager of the production.

Call (203) 454-3883 or visit www.musictheatreofct.com to get your tickets for Master Class, which runs through September 29. Tickets are $60.00 for center seats and $50.00 for side seats. (Every seat in the house offers an excellent view.) On Saturday, September 21 at 8:00, teachers can get $15.00 off one regular ticket with an ID. Thursday, September 27 at 7:00 tickets are just $40.00 for people under $40. For any Saturday night performance, students can get the $25.00 rush special ticket price with a valid student ID. Service fees apply. Tickets are going fast, so don’t wait.

Your best bet is to subscribe to Music Theatre of Connecticut, so you lock in your tickets to the upcoming shows, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical (running December 5 through 22), Moon Over Buffalo (February 7 through 23), and La Cage Aux Folles (April 4 through 19). The Music Theatre of Connecticut is located at 509 Westport Avenue in Norwalk.

If that’s not enough to satisfy the culture vulture in you, you can experience contemporary music of classic stories in Music Theatre of Connecticut’s new innovative partnership with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. They are collaborating on a chamber series with A Soldier’s Tale (November 1 and 2), Orpheus and Euridice (March 7 and 8), and Spanish Sizzle (April 25 and 26). ¡Ay, caramba!

Terrence McNally’s powerful Master Class opens the Music Theatre of Connecticut’s 38th mainstage season. We mean powerful – the book, the performances, the lighting, the sound – everything to make your afternoon or evening theater experience extraordinary.

Whether or not you like opera, Maria Callas’s lessons in Master Class are applicable to artists of all genres and people who are not artistically inclined. Callas’s love of opera is so passionate and protective that she wants all her students in her master class to be able to perform their best and to do justice to the story and to the composer. “The composer is G-d,” she believes. To her, every detail is essential, even the accompanist’s choice of clothing. “It’s important to have a look…get one as quickly as possible,” she demands.

And Callas (impressively played by Irene Glezos) is demanding. Not just of the pianist, Manny (Zachary Anderson). Her first student is Sophie de Palma (Emily Solo), who comes unprepared to the class. She’s wearing an outfit that is inappropriate for a serious opera singer. She doesn’t even bring a pencil with her. Here, Callas brings up her poor childhood during World War II when people had to choose between buying “a pencil or an orange.” That pencil was crucial for an opera singer because the notes can be used again in the future. Of course, Callas interrupts Sophie multiple times to get her to listen to the music, to understand the words, the feel the character’s emotions, and to engage the audience because “all these people judge you.” She sums it up, “Everyone knew what I was talking about when I was singing.” Sophie, sensitive and naïve, finds following her advice hard and gets understandably nervous. Callas maintains that “Nerves have destroyed more singers than bad teachers.” She reminds her not to imitate her. “I’m who I am…. Find out who you are. I’m not a performing seal.” Then she warns her, “You have to have eyes in the back of your head,” referring to her rivals. That’s a lot to take in, especially for her first student.

In Act II, Sharon Graham (Heidi Giberson) her second student, comes in bursting with self-confidence and wearing a stunning low-cut evening gown. Callas berates her choice of clothing. “The stage, the theatre is a holy place,” she explains. She comments on how she makes her entrance as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth. The scene calls for her to be reading a letter with good news, but Sharon’s interpretation is lame. “This is your stage. Own it,” directs Callas. Sharon walks off the stage. After she fails to return, Tony Candolino (Constantine Pappas), a tenor comes in for his lesson. He is confident, then defiant about Callas’s demands. After she admonishes him for not doing his homework about the part, he becomes humble because he realizes the value of learning from Callas.

Sharon comes back to the stage for her lesson. “An entrance is everything,” Callas reminds her. “It’s how we present ourselves to the audience.” Sharon, like the other students, doesn’t understand that singing beautifully is not enough. Callas asks if she read Macbeth, and Sharon’s response is, yes, in high school. “I’m not an actress,” she tells Callas, who then scolds her that Verdi read it and understood it. “There are no shortcuts in life,” Callas tells her, and then guides her thorough the scene and its meanings for Lady Macbeth. But Sharon does not appreciate her advice and insults her by telling Callas that she can’t sing anymore and is “envious of everyone else who can.” Sharon then walks off the stage for good.

Almost imperceptibly, but she draws on every bit of resilience and power she has developed over the years as if they were a champion’s muscles. She certainly had pain and self-doubts. During the play she remembered feeling insecure about her appearance because she wore thick glasses and had bad skin. She was convinced that people close to her, including her singing teacher, wanted her to fail. But she pursued her ambition to become a great opera singer. “I have everyone where I want them….my revenge.” She also recalls with poignancy her relationship with Aristotle Onassis, who used her to elevate his position in society. It was another rejection she overcame. “I learned the hard way. A performance is a struggle. You have to win. The audience is the enemy…. Dominate them!”

You see? Master Class isn’t just for opera lovers. It’s for everyone. These are inspiring life lessons taught by someone who rose to the top of her world. And this production of Master Class, superbly directed by Kevin Connors, would do both McNally and Callas proud. Glezos has the audience in the palm of her hand. Solo, Giberson, and Pappas have exceptional singing voices. Anderson is on stage all the time as the pianist, playing beautifully and interacting verbally with Callas. Jim Schilling almost steals the first scene as the stagehand with his reactions to Callas’s demands for her comfort and convenience. It just goes to show, there are no small parts, unless an actor trivializes them. RJ Romeo’s lighting and projection design perfectly complement Jon Damast’s sound designs and scenic design by April M. Bartlett with assistance from Arielle Silbert. Diane Vanderkroef’s costumes were perfect for every character. Abbey Murray made things go smoothly as stage manager of the production.

Call (203) 454-3883 or visit www.musictheatreofct.com to get your tickets for Master Class, which runs through September 29. Tickets are $60.00 for center seats and $50.00 for side seats. (Every seat in the house offers an excellent view.) On Saturday, September 21 at 8:00, teachers can get $15.00 off one regular ticket with an ID. Thursday, September 27 at 7:00 tickets are just $40.00 for people under $40. For any Saturday night performance, students can get the $25.00 rush special ticket price with a valid student ID. Service fees apply. Tickets are going fast, so don’t wait.

Your best bet is to subscribe to Music Theatre of Connecticut, so you lock in your tickets to the upcoming shows, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical (running December 5 through 22), Moon Over Buffalo (February 7 through 23), and La Cage Aux Folles (April 4 through 19). The Music Theatre of Connecticut is located at 509 Westport Avenue in Norwalk.

If that’s not enough to satisfy the culture vulture in you, you can experience contemporary music of classic stories in Music Theatre of Connecticut’s new innovative partnership with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. They are collaborating on a chamber series with A Soldier’s Tale (November 1 and 2), Orpheus and Euridice (March 7 and 8), and Spanish Sizzle (April 25 and 26). ¡Ay, caramba!

To post a comment, you must register and login.