Master Class, the most praised and successful Broadway play of the last decade, comes to the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center for two performances on Tuesday, Nov. 23, and Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 24. Written by Terrence McNally, who maintains a home in Key West, it was the winner of three 1996 Tony Awards including Best Play and Best Actress in a Play.
Master Class brings to vivid life an internationally celebrated woman— the renowned opera diva Maria Callas. Based on an actual event, the piece takes place during a master class she conducts with three young singers ("Bring on the next victim!") in front of a live audience (us). She is tough and acerbic in her comments on these three as well as her past rivals.
Callas also attempts to infuse the students with the focus and dedication needed for real achievement in opera, or any other walk of life. During the session, the music of the arias drops her into memory— and we relive with her the bitter childhood in wartime Greece, phenomenal acclaim at the great opera house like La Scala, her triumph over her enemies, and her tumultuous and tragic love affair with another ruthless giant, Aristotle Onassis.
Maria Callas will be played by Charlotte Cornwell, formerly with Great Britain's Royal National and Royal Shakespeare Theatre Companies. Her credits include a host of plays including two national tours in the United States, numerous British television series, and major motion pictures on both sides of the Atlantic.
Master Class renders the full Callas' humanity and greatness in an engrossing evening of theatre that will captivate the audience. The second performance is on Thanksgiving Eve, giving Key West's many visitors an extra holiday treat.
Tickets are priced at $45 for Founders Society opening night, with a special Gala at the Pier House following the performance, which will also be attended by members of the cast. Thanksgiving Eve tickets on Nov. 24 are priced at $32 for the orchestra and $27 mezzanine and sides.
Tickets are on sale at the Box Office, 296-1520, which is open weekdays 12 noon-6 p.m. and may also be purchased on the Internet at www.ticketweb.com. MasterCard and Visa are accepted. TWFAC is located on the campus of the Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island at 5901 West College Road.