BWW Reviews: Pat Rulon's Portrayal of Callas is 'Revelatory' in ACT 1's MASTER CLASS

Imperious and commanding, confident and resolute, Maria Callas is the quintessential opera diva-Leonard Bernstein referred to her as "The Bible of opera"-and with her oversized personality and regal bearing, she remains a force to be reckoned with almost 35 years after her death. ACT 1 continues its remarkable 2011-12 season with Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning Master Class, a revealing and intimate portrait of la Divina in the latter years of her storied life and career.

Brought to life via the stunning performance of actress Pat Rulon, whose Callas is as haughty and arrogant as you could possibly hope to witness, Master Class is a treatise on the pursuit of art, wrought by years of unyielding study and devotion to one's craft, the effects on one's personal life be damned.

Directed knowledgeably and with focus by Dan McGeachy (who previously directed McNally's play in a production by Nashville's Circle Players in 2003), Master Class offers an illuminating portrait of Callas, utilizing theatrical magic to capture the essence of both the artist and the woman in the course of the 90-minute play. Based upon a series of master classes conducted by Callas at The Juilliard School in New York City in the early 1970s-which McNally observed-Master Class offers his interpretation of Callas' pedagogical style (which isn't necessarily for the faint of heart), as well as his incisive yet respectful approach to the woman herself.

McNally's beautifully crafted script places Callas front and center as she works with three voice students, allowing glimpses into her work ethic and giving us greater knowledge of her approach to her art, her glittering resume of noteworthy roles and her place in the pantheon of operatic greats. It is at once a play filled with grandeur and spectacle, yet it is brought down to earth by Callas' personal reflections on the impact of art on one's life. At one moment, you are laughing heartily and lustily at Callas' frank recollections of her earlier stage triumphs and the emotional times past, while at others you are moved silently and viscerally by the sheer dramatic import of the events in her life. She is a larger-than-life personality no matter if she is onstage or off-, but McNally skillfully portrays her personal fears and experiences with a deft, judicious hand.

Master Class offers its audiences an intimate view of Callas even as she regales a classroom full of sycophants and fanatics with stories of La Scala, Covent Garden and The Metropolitan-punctuated by her amusing asides about Joan Sutherland, Renata Tebaldi (with whom she was engaged in a bitter rivalry, if you believe the gossips), Beverly Sills and her other contemporaries and the memories of her humble beginnings and her long-term relationship with Aristotle Onassis, "the richest man in the world."

Rulon's performance is revelatory. A member of the Nashville theater community for years, she's played all manner of roles on local stages during that time, from classical to contemporary, from comedic to dramatic, but never before has she shown the range and depth of her abilities as she does so eloquently and searingly as in Master Class. Upon her first entrance, she takes the stage with confidence and aplomb, never once wavering in her superb portrayal. Easily moving from the here and now (Maria's seemingly unfocused work with her students) to the recent past (Maria's tales of her triumphant performances juxtaposed against the sacrifices she endured as a young student), Rulon's performance is remarkably focused, which is particularly noteworthy given the intimate physical trappings of the Darkhorse Theatre, which puts her mere feet away from the audience.

Rulon's physical transformation is breathtaking, her gorgeous figure and form made all the more striking by Callas' trim-fitting black pantsuit and the actress' carriage and stage presence.

Rulon's daughter, Emily Apuzzo, is wonderful as the deer-in-the-headlights Sophie De Palma, and the pair's onstage interaction fairly sizzles with the underlying trust of one in the other. Apuzzo's soprano is light and lovely and she effortlessly moves through her scene (Sophie is the first student to bear the brunt of Callas' oversized ego and imperious demeanor) with grace and skill.

Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva is well-cast as the "second soprano" Sharon Graham, who is at first frightened and intimidated by the aging diva. Sharon leaves only to return after once again screwing up her courage to meet Callas again and the two engage in a dramatically impressive duel of artists. Whitcomb-Oliva is impressive in her performance and her interpretation of Verdi's Lady Macbeth .

L.T. Kirk provides comic relief as the tenor Anthony Candolino, clad in a period costume that fairly reeks of 1971 (the time setting of the play) and his genuine dismay at Callas' dismissal of him is palpable. John Todd plays Manny Weinstock, Callas' accompanist for the master classes, and Patrick Goedicke is fine as the unflappable stagehand.

- Master Class. By Terrence McNally. Directed by Dan McGeachy. Presented by ACT 1, at Darkhorse Theater, through January 21. At Nashville Opera's Noah Liff Opera Center, February 10 and 11). For tickets, go to www.ticketsnashville.com or visit the ACT 1 website at www.act1online.com.

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