Masterclass

Masterclass depicts scenes from a masterclass given by the great opera diva, Maria Callas, at the Juilliard School of Music in 1971. Apart from Callas we meet only three students and an accompanist.

This is a tour de force for the leading lady, as Callas is on the stage for the entire play, and Amanda Muggleton was superb. Only metres from the audience, she never dropped character and alternatively showed the strength and vulnerability of this operatic icon. She was riveting.

Young Kala Gare played Sophie. She looked appropriately scared and didn’t get much chance to sing. Rocco Speranza was an appropriate young upstart tenor, and displayed a lovely voice.

Jessica Boyd played the intimidated dramatic soprano, stopped before she opened her mouth. After running away, she returned to sing well and then tell Callas what she thought of her. If it had been a real masterclass, Maria Callas would have told her not to touch an aria from Macbeth until she was much older, or not at all, as her voice was too light for this music.

Dobbs Franks, a musical icon in Melbourne, still performing well into his eighties, was a sympathetic accompanist and occasional foil for the Maria. Images of Callas were projected on the back wall to add to the atmosphere.

It was a lovely touch to have the three singers sing an aria of their choosing as an encore after the performance, as they didn’t get much chance under the demanding eye of Ms. Callas.

However, this was Amanda Muggleton’s night, and she didn’t disappoint. The standing ovation at the end said it all.

Graham Ford

Photographer: Kate Ferguson.