This weekend East West Player's ends its run of Terrence McNally's Master Class. It's directed by Jules Aaron and stars Jeanne Sakata in the demanding role of Maria Callas. The play itself is about the late opera singer Maria Callas. It is based on the singer's life and a series of master classes taught by Callas at the Juilliard School in New York towards the end of her life in the years after her decline.
I've not really had much experience with opera, but by the end of the performance I felt myself wanting to go out and experience one. During the course of the play, Callas' character gives critical lessons to three aspiring singers. She encourages them to feel the music, follow the lead of the conductor, and understand the character and what they're feeling at that moment of the song. The little snippets of songs left me wanting to hear more. What was really wonderful was that as she was explaining to the singer, I was able to learn about the operas the songs came from.
I guess one of the things that acts as a stopping point for most operas is not the style of music, but that most are not in English. Although...I'm not sure why that should stop me from listening to opera music when I've listened to Japanese music without understanding those lyrics. I guess it's just not a part of the culture I grew up with.
One thing that was very interesting was in the printed program, Tim Dang, the Producing Artistic Director for East West Players, writes a welcome. In it, he points out that Jeanne Sakata, an Asian American artist, portrays this Greek legend similar to the way that Callas portrayed Cio-Cio San in Madame Butterfly. He asks whether the audience will be able to suspend their perceptions and accept that Sakata is indeed Callas the way that previous audiences accepted Callas as Cio-Cio San.
It is very interesting in the way that East West Players provides Asian American actors to play non-Asian parts. From Charlie Chan to David Carradine's character in the "Kung Fu" TV series, there is such a long history of non-Asians portraying Asian characters. It's a very interesting twist...
I wrote this for SanethePlanet.com and feel that more people should know this amazing talent. I am not a reviewer just an ‘official appreciator’ and a new and ardent fan and just wanted to express how Jeanne Sakata's performance made me feel.
A TALENT THAT MATTERS AND OTHER ISSUES THAT DON’T
A beautifully written play entitled Master Class by Terrence McNally just ended a one-month run at the David Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. This play is based on the life of one of opera’s greatest divas, Maria Callas—‘La Divina’ and is loosely based on some Master Classes she gave at Julliard. McNally masterfully uses the lessons Callas tries to teach and the music the students sing to give us glimpses of her life through soliloquies accompanied in the background by ‘La Divina’s’ arias. Callas does not sing in this play since she had already lost her voice by the time she gave the Master Classes. That does not hinder her teaching, however, and the words of advice she endeavors to make the students understand would stand us all in good stead in our daily lives: Listen. Pay attention to detail. Feel. Be passionate and give your all to what you do. Find the truth. Respect what the composer is trying to say. The play is truly remarkable but what made this particular Master Class outstanding is the consummate artistry of Jeanne Sakata as Maria Callas.
I went to the play because I love opera, I love Callas and I love theater. But I returned to the Master Class six subsequent times because of the awe-inspiring and masterful performance of Jeanne Sakata. She has an extraordinary stage presence and effortlessly commands everyone’s undivided attention when she is on stage—in Master class that is almost 100% of the time. And that is as it should be since Jeanne Sakata’s performance mirrors Callas’s in its passionate and soul-wrenching perfection. She brings truth, beauty, passion and pathos to her portrayal of Callas, just as Callas imbued her singing with those same qualities.
I have been an opera and theater enthusiast all my life and I have never been so impressed and enthralled by any performance with the exception of those of Beverly Sills. What Sills and Callas are to opera, Jeanne Sakata is to the stage. Sills and Callas can make me cry or laugh with delight depending on what they are singing. They can make the hair on back of my neck stand up and they make me feel the grandeur and glory of life in all of its stages. I am in awe of their amazing talent and am touched to the depths of my heart, soul and very being listening to them. I now feel the same about Jeanne Sakata. I came away from each of her performances emotionally exhausted and captivated by her acting. She was Callas, she was Aristotle Onassis, she was ‘La Divina!’ Callas says it takes a true artist to cry in song and indeed, Callas and Sills can do that; but Sakata can do it with words. She can recite the lyrics of an aria or tell us about her (Callas’s) life and you can feel the passion and pathos in it. She makes you want to weep and laugh and then cry some more. She does this with words or with just a look or a gesture. I have never seen a better performance—absolutely mesmerizing!
I was fortunate to meet the very warm and gracious Jeanne Sakata after one of her performances. I wanted to let her know how her acting affected me and to tell her how astounding I think she is. I also expressed my amazement that the theater was not absolutely filled every evening with lines outside full of people trying to get a ticket. She made a comment about the possibility that people were perhaps not ready to accept an Asian-American playing Maria Callas. If this is true, it is absurd and ridiculous. Jeanne Sakata may be an Asian American in real life but the minute she makes her entrance on stage, she is Maria Callas. There is absolutely no doubt about that. That is acting; that is feeling, and I am sure that Maria Callas was looking down at Sakata’s performances and exclaiming enthusiastically, “Brava, Jeanne Sakata, Brava!” Sakata’s art fills our souls and enriches all our lives. The losers are those who were not fortunate enough to see this remarkable actress. Maria Callas in the heavens above, and we fortunate ones down here who got to see Jeanne Sakata and feel her magic are also saying, “Thank you, Jeanne Sakata, Thank you! Brava! Brava! Brava!”
What is wrong with a society that still segregates and fails to see the human potential in every individual? We are a global society and we are all the same under the different faces we wear. The program at the David Hwang Theater poses the question best, “Will the audience be able to suspend their perceptions and accept that Ms. Sakata is indeed Callas the way previous audiences accepted Ms. Callas as Cio-Cio San in Madame Butterfly?” My answer is obviously a resounding YES!
But why, in this day and age, is this even an issue? Why can’t we have a white Othello, a black Hamlet, a Hispanic Medea, a Chinese Violetta, a Greek Cio-Cio San or an Asian-American Callas? Doesn’t art transcend ethnicity? Can’t we judge art based on the artistry of the performance and not on race and skin color? If we can’t, then we are the ultimate losers, just as everyone who did not come to this Master Class because of an Asian-American Callas lost an opportunity to see a supremely accomplished and extraordinary artist at work.
Let’s all become actors in our own play—the play of life. Let’s all pretend that we are color blind and oblivious to our differences. In The King and I, prior to Anna and her son meeting the King of Siam, they sing—and it is very apt here, “…the object of this deception is very plain to see, for when you fool the people you fear, you fool yourself as well.” I believe that many people are afraid of what they do not know or understand. So, fool yourself with those you fear and you will come to know and appreciate them better. And that new appreciation can extend to all parts of our lives. We can learn to understand and value the differences. In this process we can also enjoy so many wonderful artists who really do matter and who make a difference in our lives. Callas says the sun will not fall out of the sky if there are no more Traviatas. But, I think she may be wrong in that, at the very least the sun will not be so bright and beautiful. Jeanne Sakata makes the sun shine very brightly!