Monica Bellucci reveals why she took on the role of opera singer Maria Callas in a one-man show

Italian actress Monica Bellucci and his one-man show Maria Callas: Letters And Memoirs hits the stage at the Beacon Theater in New York City for one night only on Friday, January 27.

The stage show, which marks the first time the star has acted in a play, has been an international success since he began his career with Bellucci as the legendary opera singer at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris in 2019.

For Bellucci, who made her stage debut with Letters And Memoirs, she never thought the show would become a worldwide phenomenon.

“It was crazy, and we never expected to come to New York,” the 58-year-old native of Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy, confessed. People. “And it’s a sign that we came to New York because Callas was born in New York in 1923, and we ended the tour in 2023, 100 years after she was born.” So it’s a beautiful sign for me.

Global success: Monica Bellucci, 58, told People what inspired her to perform her first show as legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Letters And Memoirs, ahead of a one-night engagement at the Beacon Theater in New York New York on Friday. January 27th

Letters And Memoirs went on to play all over the world with stops in Athens, Rome, Milan, London and Los Angeles, just before arriving in New York, which was Callas’ hometown.

Conducted by Tom Volf and accompanied by the Wordless Music Orchestra, Bellucci recites letters and previously unpublished writings from Callas to tell the full story of her life in her own words.

During her performance, the actress interprets the writings of Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophie Kalogeropoulou), starting with her childhood in New York and her start at opera in Italy, to the pinnacle of world fame, which ultimately turned complicated. with scandal, love and personal hardships.

Bellucci admitted to being afraid to take on the role initially, but could not resist because “the lyrics were so beautiful” and Volf asked her “to be a part of the project”.

Beauty Wins: When asked why she took such a risk playing Callas in her first show, Bellucci replied, “Because beauty deserves risks”; she is seen in september 2022

‘I was afraid, of course. First time on stage! I couldn’t say no because when I read the letters and the memoirs everything was full of emotion and vulnerability, and it’s like I could touch her soul,’ he explained about his reaction to the premise.

She added: “What motivated me to this project is the duality of Maria Callas. The diva, the divine, the dona, immense talent. At the same time, the woman with a simple heart, the one who died of sadness, of a broken heart. ‘

Callas was born in New York in December 1923, then moved with her family back to her home country of Greece, eventually becoming a star in Italy, eventually earning distinction as one of the most recognizable opera singers. and influencers of the 20th century. .

Many critics praised her bel canto technique, broad voice, and dramatic performances. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as ‘the Divine’.

The second half of Callas’s career was marked by a series of scandals, including having an affair with Aristotle Onassis while still married to her husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini.

Scandals: The second half of Callas’s career was marked by a series of scandals, including having an affair with Aristotle Onassis (pictured with her in 1960) while still married to her husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini.

In 1966, Callas renounced her American citizenship at the American embassy in Paris to facilitate the end of her marriage to Meneghini.

With her resignation, Callas would only be considered a Greek citizen, and under Greek law at the time, a Greek could only be legally married in a Greek Orthodox church. Since she had been married in a Roman Catholic church, this consolidated their divorce in Greece.

The relationship ended two years later, in 1968, when Onassis left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy.

Callas spent her final years living mostly in isolation in Paris, and died of a heart attack at age 53 in September 1977.

Global career: After making her feature film debut in Francesco Laudadio’s Italian comedy La Riffa (1991), Bellecci went on to star in such films as Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), The Passion of the Christ (2004) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003). , The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and Specter (2015); she is seen as Lucia Sciarra in the movie 007

When asked why she took such a risk playing Callas in her first show, Bellucci replied, “Because beauty deserves risks.”

He continued: “With this project, there was something so human, so poetic, that I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s going to be a huge risk, but I think it’s beautiful to give it to people.'” And even though he was afraid, when he was afraid, he said: “Okay, I give love, so that nothing happens to me.”

After making his film debut in Francesco Laudadio’s Italian comedy La Riffa (1991), Bellecci appeared in such films as Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), L’Appartement (1997), Irréversible (2002), The Passion of the Christ (2004 ). ), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Whistleblower (2010), Specter (2015) and The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020).