Arizona Theatre Company's Master Class at The Herberger Theatre Center
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 11/14/99
(out of )Terrence McNally is one of America's most celebrated and controversial contemporary playwrights. His catalogue includes such famed works as Lips Together, Teeth Apart, the Tony®-winning librettos for Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his two Tony®-winning plays, Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class. Admittedly, save for Spider Woman, I have never been taken with his style, which often stops the action dead to allow a main character to poetically expound on their subtext in a monologue. He is, though, one of America's most celebrated and controversial contemporary playwrights, so I will sit through his works as they are produced by companies from Arizona Theatre Company to community theatres.
At least Master Class is not quite as abrasive as his other works, and he only stops the action to reveal subtext once in each act. The setting is the Julliard School of Music at Lincoln Center during the early 70's, when a vocally-ravaged Maria Callas taught a Master Class to aspiring Opera divas. In this fanciful recreation of one of those courses, Ms. Callas rants and raves in her true prima donna way about everything, from the temperature to the lack of style of those she tutors. She gives somewhat interesting insights into her commitment to art, and her view of creation, and then, while the singers perform their pieces, she is swept away by the music to expound on her own difficult, nearly loveless life, artistic accomplishments and crushing decline.
While the script is simply solid, and not quite overly-impressive, the performances of many of the actors is. These are veterans that have been collected by the Denver Center's Associate Artistic Director, Bruce K. Sevy, who himself is a veteran of Mr. McNally's initial development of this work. The polish of director and actors is obvious. This is a Broadway-level production, with pinpoint perfect pacing, studied delivery, and an air of craftsmanship as we've grown to expect from ATC.
This dramatic soap opera is carried by Gordana Rashovich's Callas. She has it all: the accent, the attitude, the tormented isolation. She manages to make almost everything, even the unwieldy monologues, sing. Right on her level are Matthew Walley as the haughty Tenor, Tony, and the terrified Soprano, Sharon, as played by Luann Aronson. Mr. Walley is golden throated, but also catches the perfect balance of self-obsessed and terrified necessary for his character. Ms. Aronson is also a beautiful singer, and her stylized presentation gives way to brutal honesty in a wonderfully real way. Nearly as good is Dan Manjovi as the accompanist, Manny, who must bear the brunt of a lot of Callas' demands. Theodora Middlton does a solid job as initial victim, Sophie, whose character must set the tone of Callas' interesting teaching style. In his small role, Hamilton Mitchell is funny as the disgruntled stagehand who caters to Callas' desires.
It is obviously an ATC production when the set is fully exposed. Surprises abound in Vicki Smith's creation, in which the ordinary makes way for the extraordinary. David Kay Mickelsen's costumes also work wonderfully. While most of Rick Paulsen's lighting is above average, a choice made, possibly with Mr. Sevy, in which strange, barely noticeable twinkling lights flash during Callas' monologues is incredibly distracting, and inexplicable. Impressive is Brian Jerome Peterson's work as Sound Designer.
Those who are fans of Mr. McNally will probably
be able to get past my consistent issues concerning his writing
style., and thoroughly enjoy this utterly professional production.
Arizona Theatre Company has done it again, with polish on every
aspect of their presentation. Producer David Ira Goldstein
and his collaborators keep rising to the occasion, much to
the delight of Phoenix audiences.
Production Details:
Master Class by Terrance
McNally
Arizona Theatre Company
The Herberger Theatre Center, Phoenix
(602) 252-8497
November 14th - November 28th, 1999