Opera Diva, Maria Callas muses about her music, her memories, and her mess of a life while coaching three opera students with her caustic wit and brilliant technique in the Terrence McNally comedy, “Master Class”.
This fictional play with music is based on the “Lyric Tradition” classes given by Madame Callas, fifty years ago at The Juilliard School of Music in New York City, some of which Terrence McNally attended.
Maria Callas, portrayed by Andrea Gregori (who has embodied the Diva five times in the past ten years) teaches, terrifies, and tells her life story to a class full of students (the audience).
Also featured in the show are Sonny DeWitt as the class accompanist, Manny Weinstock, Jana Kucera as the first fiery student, Sophie DePalma who attempts to sing an aria from Bellin’s “Sonnambula”, Jarod Hinton as the very confident tenor, Anthony Condolino who sings an aria from Puccini’s “Tosca”, Michelle Thompson as the final courageous student who sings a very difficult aria from Verdi’s “Macbeth”.
McNally’s comedy is directed by Kate Murray and produced by BLAST: Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier at the Cider Mill Stage, Your Hometown Theater, 2 Nanticoke Ave, Endicott, NY.
Show dates are Friday, July 15th – Saturday, July 16th at 7:30pm and Sunday, July 17th at 2:30pm.
Tickets are $25 and may be obtained by visiting cidermillstage.com or calling 607-321-9630 or at the box office the day of performance.
