MASTER CLASS Patti LuPone 

Watch an actual master class. Maria was a fantastic teacher. This is fiction for entertainment. She focused on the original intent of the composer and excellence... that's what made her great..

I do not say this to diminish McNally's talent in any way, but this play is based on a series of masterclasses that Maria Callas gave. They were recorded, and readily available to both McNally and the public. Much of the drama is taken from the actual classes.

And good old fashioned American politics getting in the way again.

fountainchain126 I saw her perform this in London - she was amazing in the rôle, and mesmerising to watch. Her own discipline, technique and courage showed through.

Beautifully said!

Out of sheer curiosity, I did a google archive search of any reviews of her in the role at the time, and, surprisingly, Variety was very kind to her. They recognized the differences between her and Caldwell, but they were reticent to see those differences as a take-away or a let-down. It's clearly Patti LuPone AS Maria Callas in a play ABOUT the Juilliard Masterclasses; this, as opposed to a documentary-style bio-play detailing the actual proceedings of the sessions (some of which, coincidentally, exist on RU-vid as well). I also think Callas, to her credit, was very precise about how she presented herself to the press, and so her public reception was as varied as any opera primadonna, regardless of her temperament. It's clear that Mr. McNally wanted to garner Callas' essence through the medium of acting, and dramatic license, tricky thing that is always is, was something he wasn't afraid to employ, if only for dramatic effect. In any case, I'm a not-so-lowkey LuPone fan, so I speak with admitted bias. But whatever the case, this performance, IMO, is snappy, smart, and funny as hell.

@@pmurraymusic The Times mauled her to shreds. I believe the last line was "try as she might, the little sparrow never seems to get it right." I bet she grew into the role. She was actually the most appropriate actress to cast in this role.

Or maybe they resent the was she totally misrepresented Callas.

i love this! this made me laugh! haha

Yes - LuPone seems less confidant in the audience's ability to fill in the gaps. She races through the text to get to the next joke rather than allowing the audience to get there first.

Nick Mayor that’s true. She cut 15 minutes of the show just with speed.

Well, to be honest, callas herself did speak quite quickly herself. So it is a little detail, that serves the character quite well

@ she sounds NOTHING like Callas. Accent, inflections. NOTHING

Maria Callas was 173 cm and Joan Sutherland 175 cm, so they were both kind of 12 foot Lucia.🙂

Yes sir

I was fortunate enough to see Dixie, She was mesmerizing!!!

michael lockett - Amazing, I also got to see Dixie Carter in the role. I remember getting to the Broadway 🎭 theatre and the performance was cancelled, they stated that she wasn’t feeling well. I came back the next night and I totally agree with you, Dixie Carter was mesmerizing!

I worship Maria Callas, and love, love, love Patti LuPone, but I too saw Dixie Carter in Master Class on Broadway. I wasn't expecting much, but when you have a masterful play (RIP Mr. McNally) and a wonderful actress (yes, Ms. Dixie Carter), it was just magic. Perfect casting, and I feel so fortunate to have seen any actress in the role, but Dixie Carter embodied Maria Callas that evening, and I got to witness it from the front row.

@@leewoods3067 I was front row audience left, when Dixie (maria)was talking about aborting Ari's baby, I burst into tears, she was downstage right, in front of me, I hid my face because I thought my near sobs would break her concentration.

@@leewoods3067 Hope some footgae surfaces soon! Always felt she looked the most like Callas. Did she use an accent?

this is amazing

Hi Lorraine---so nice to hear from you. This was a two-camera shoot, and the footage here is from the tight/close camera, and therefore concentrates on Patti at all times. The other performers are probably visible in the wide-camera footage. This was shot early in Patti's run.

Why?

This doesn't look like her, and she definitely doesn't sound like her!

@@stefanodepeppo Neither did Zoe Caldwell, Faye Dunaway, or anyone else; at least they didn't to someone without an imagination.

Yes, and she was the first-and-only star of the London production.

You must be thinking of Olympia Dukakis, who turned down replacing Zoe...

No she didn't Callas didn't behave in this hammy way. If you listen to the tapes of her masterclasses, her attitude was totally different.

@@kbhprinsesse The dialogue itself is full of diva attitude regardless of how Callas may or may not have behaved. I felt Patti made the role her own and didn't stoop to a mere impersonation. To me, Zoe was too reserved, and the way she delivered her dialogue was too measured and patient. I didn't believe the woman she was interpreting on stage had huge talent, an even bigger ego / competitive attitude (as most opera singers did back then) and a fragile heart that was being protected by that high opinion of herself. I even thought Fay Dunaway was better in the role than Zoe because it demands a big personality full of bravura.

@@L1623VP I don't agree. If you have ever heard the tapes of Callas' actual masterclasses, you would know how close LuPone's attitude here is to being ridiculous.

@@kbhprinsesse I have seen Callas several times on tape and in interviews. Patti's performance is definitely not a perfect likeness, however, if you know anything about Patti's approach to acting, which she's talked about many times over the years, it's about serving the text--what's on the page and not letting a lot of preconceived notions or other factors influence the characterization. Right or wrong, that's her philosophy about creating a truly original performance and not copying others. I'll admit she doesn't always get it right. I saw her in Gypsy at City Center in 2007, and her performance was so subdued that I thought she was on meds. She dialed her performance down so far that she over did it in her attempt to not copy other actresses' interpretations, which led the NYT to review the show with the headline, "Whatever Happened to Mama Rose?" By the time the show reached Broadway, her portrayal was entirely different and much more traditional. So, there are certain roles that come with a certain kind of expectation from the audience in the way they should be performed because they're so recognizable and have been part of the theater cannon for so long. So, there isn't much or any room for interpretation. With a show that's never been done before, there's more leeway in that regard. Whether Callas' fans were upset on the whole, I can't say. All I can say is that I saw Patti in this production, and she was fantastic. In fact, of all the multi-million dollar shows I've seen on Broadway and the smaller ones, her production of Master Class has always remained the best Broadway show I've seen and the one I remember most. I have to give credit to McNally too, because the script is superb.

@@L1623VP you can say whatever you want. This is an affront to Maria Callas, something I am sure McNally did NOT want with his text. LuPone's bad accent - Callas was born and raised in NYC so she didn't speak English with any foreign accent, certainly not an Italian on - and her hammy way of putting the text over which was totally foreign to Callas at the masterclasses. You may say that the most important thing is the text, but come on - Callas hadn't even been dead for 20 years when the play premiered in 1995 and there are plenty of audovisual testaments to how she spoke, acted etc. so naturally people will compare and wish for a certain authentiticy, just like when someone portrays JFK or another important and reasonably "modern" historical figure on film, tv or stage. Say what you want, there's no argument which can justify this.

I thought see sounded Italian, which would also be wrong.

@@artdanks Callas was born in NYC where she lived until she was 13. She didn't speak English with a foreign accent.

Are you kidding me?? Callas was born in NYC where she lived until she was 13. She didn't speak English with a foreign accent.

yes she does not transcend ever

@Jeff, the God of Biscuits If you knew the art and person of Matia Callas you would see what I mean. The author was a second rate talent, who had little knowledge of music, but a lot of the Callas/Judy Garland worship these figures inspired in gay men.

I never thought that the play was meant to be a realistic depiction of the master classes that Callas actually led. I would say it's a fairly abstract fantasia on opera, art, dedication, star worship, sacrifice, and much more, using the framework of a Callas master class so that the character of Callas can directly address the audience throughout..

@@ransomcoates546 Sad that your opinion is so narrow, and you are so sure of yourself...

Ransom Coates I am now listening to Callas’ masterclasses and interviews and that was my first thought too. She was proud, but she wasn’t full of herself. She didn’t have an attitude. She was a very direct person, very categorical when teaching. At 4:47 Patti insults the audience member, which is a great example of what Maria Callas would never have done. She would never have willingly insulted someone just for the sake of insulting them.