Master Class

The operatic great Maria Callas was one of the most successful and admired opera singers of all time, whose legend still endures over thirty years since her death. Master Class, directed by Jonathan Church, gives an insight into the retired Callas as she gives lessons to ambitious young opera singers, in doing so reflecting on her famously hard life.

Through a combination of imparting knowledge to her students, audience interaction and monologues, Callas' character and experiences are explored in all their grand yet tragic glory. Writer Terrence McNally has woven a subtle but intriguing insight into Callas’ life, cleverly presented within the confines of a New York classroom, amid a delicate mix of comedy and raw emotion.

In his Tony Award-winning play, McNally creates a wonderful bitter-sweetness through the juxtaposition of Callas' phenomenally successful career and her isolated and turbulent private life. Much detail about her methods and reasons for success is presented, such as her emphasis on feeling the music and the story instead of 'just' acting, as well as understanding and connecting with every single word, constantly referring back to the music and composer.

The major parallel between Bellini’s operatic character of Norma and Callas herself is touched upon, but nothing explicit is made of the fact that, like Norma, the love of Callas’ life abandoned her to marry another woman. Although alluded to, an existing knowledge of Callas’ life is required to appreciate the poignancy of her interpretation and relationship with the role of Norma, and it's a shame that such an emotionally heart-wrenching comparison has not been exploited to its full potential.

Beacham embodies a woman who is physically present and imposing, with a well-projected and articulate voice which is both likable and incredibly intimidating. The pinnacle of Beacham’s performance comes towards the end with the tragically emotional climax of the play, which appears to move the Golden Globe nominee to tears right into the curtain call. It is impossible not to sympathise with Beacham’s show-stealing portrayal, or to fail to be overwhelmed by the beauty and power associated with Callas’ love and devotion to the arts. This is a fascinating and excellently produced play, and one of the absolute highlights of the King’s Theatre programme.