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| MASTER & STUDENT: (left to right) Sierra Boggess & Tyne Daly in revival of 'Master Class' on Broadway. Photo: Joan Marcus |
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Theater
Review
Master Class:
Tyne Daly's gutsy take on Maria Callas
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By David NouNou
Revivals are a great way of re-examining a theatrical piece and its durability,
especially if the work is an award-winning play. I must admit that I am a sucker for revisiting
seldom-revived plays, and Terrence McNally’s Master Class is no exception. It
was the 1996 Tony-winning drama for Best Play, Best Actress, Zoe Caldwell, and
Best Featured Actress, Audra McDonald.
I know
back then I was really rooting for it to win Best Play, and there was no contest
in the Best Actress category. No one had a chance running against the legendary Ms. Caldwell, La Divina of the
theatrical world. Seeing what Master Class was up against that year, I can understand
the victory in 1996. (The other Best Play nominees were weak and, in some cases,
big, pretentious bores). However, if it would have opened earlier this year, and
qualified for the 2011 Tonys, other than Tyne Daly as Maria Callas for Best Actress,
what else would it have been up for?
This is not to say that Master Class is not still enjoyable, entertaining, and
enthralling. In this version, it seems less of a play and more of an extended monologue. We are
still attending a master class being taught by Maria Callas (La Divina, as she
was lovingly referred to in her prime) at Julliard in 1971-72, coaching
aspiring opera singers. The only supporting cast member Broadway audiences might know is Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid and Love Never Dies in London) as Sharon Graham, the student that challenges the diva's authority, but is no match for Ms. Daly's Callas. On a brighter note, Alexandra Silber as the eager-to-please pupil, Sophie De Palma, is a delight.
With uninspired direction by Stephen Wadsworth
and lackluster performances by some of the supporting cast, all the attention to the fine
details that Callas demanded of herself and her students is collectively
missing. In the scenes in which Callas recalls her earlier years with Aristotle Onassis,
or her much older husband, the scenes should be as operatic and rhapsodic as an
aria. Instead, in this revival they often come across as a diva merely remembering
moments of her past. The grand operatic scale is missing. Regardless, it is
still mesmerizing watching the mega-talented Ms. Daly’s earthy interpretation
of Callas, for she literally gives it her all.
Being that most of Ms. Caldwell’s shows were either produced or overseen by her
late husband, Robert Whitehead, one knew that no detail was too small or went
unnoticed. The cast had to be on the same level as Ms. Caldwell, and the
production details were fully realized. Hence, this show was originally a play and not a
monologue. This is not to impugn Ms. Daly's performance in any way. She does
deliver the proverbial goods, and in grand style. However, Ms. Daly lacks the patrician
quality that came so naturally to Ms. Caldwell and which she imbued in her take
on Callas. Ms. Daly is not fortunate enough to have such a mentor to have seen
to all the finer details that the play desperately needs, but she
literally carries this monologue on sheer guts and determination, making this revival of Master Class worth a look despite its shortcomings.
Published July 10, 2011
Reviewed at press performance on July 9, 2011
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