Tenor Arman Ferrer joins ‘Master Class’

MANILA, Philippines — Powerful tenor and theater actor Arman Ferrer cannot be thankful enough that he gets the chance to work with singer-actress-director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and veteran theater director Jaime del Mundo in a stage play.

While he and Menchu performed onstage in many concerts in the past, Terrence McNally’s “Master Class,” a play about legendary diva Maria Callas, brings them together onstage for the first time.

“Tita Menchu and I worked together in events in the past, but never in a musical or a play,” Arman told The Philippine STAR. “The first day in ‘Master Class,’ it was so easy coming in. I thought we would only do reading and blocking.”

“We share that sense of responsibility to make the show as honest and as generous as possible. So on the second week, we dropped our scripts. Tita Menchu would just cue me for my next line. You just have to listen to her, and you’ll remember what to answer. You cannot say your next line if you will not hear what she said.”

Renowned as a classically trained singer, Arman stands as a highly coveted musical theater artist whose career is studded with accolades from prestigious awards such as the Aliw, Gawad Buhay and Awit Awards.

His journey into theater has been marked by stellar performances in lead roles with esteemed companies including Tanghalang Pilipino, Atlantis Theatricals, 9 Works Theatrical and Repertory Philippines.

Arman is aware of the challenge of live theater, and he knows that every performer works very hard. He did well-received and acclaimed musicals in the past where he played the title roles — “Lapu Lapu, Ang Datu ng Mactan” (2021) and “Rama Hari” (2023).

Beyond theater, he has made an indelible mark as a versatile singer, having performed as a featured soloist in ASEAN and APEC events, domestic and international state visits and in his solo concerts — “All of Me” and “Another Chance” — both resounding successes. He recently performed with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) as a featured soloist for its 25th anniversary concert.

“At the end of the day, there has to be a mystery for an artist,” Arman said. “If you already saw the process, what else is there to anticipate in the show? As an artist, you have to have that sense of mystery. So, you maintain that sense of wonderment and amazement for the audience. Because if you show the audience everything, you will spoil the surprise.”

In “Master Class,” they have this part where Maria Callas is confronting him as student Anthony Candolino. “It was so intense,” Arman described. “With Tito Jaime, I’m so happy that he’s directing me because he’s such an opera nerd, an opera geek. He knows everything we’re saying. He knows where the opera is coming from, the background of the opera. It’s easy for him to translate also to me.”

“He’s also particular about emotions. There was one scene where he was telling me, ‘Take your time. Silence is okay.’ It’s weird for a singer like me to have silence. You just want to feel with the music, feel with the voice. I was really surprised when he said, ‘No, take your time. Enjoy the silence.’ I’ve had many discoveries working with him in the show,” he added.

As a person who studied classical singing at the University of the Philippines (UP), Arman considers Maria Callas a legend. “More than the voice, it’s how she used that voice to do opera,” he said. “When Maria Callas sang, there was acting involved. So, she would deliberately cause her voice to crack because the scene requires it.”

“For example, the last note of Violeta in ‘La Traviata,’ Maria Callas would sing the B-flat. But that was a high B-flat because she was already dying. It is more important for the people to feel that the character is dying more than doing a beautiful B-flat with a pianissimo. For me, as an artist, and because I’m also in musical theater, it affected me that there’s more than just a voice.”

Arman insisted that art should not be exclusive to the educated ones or the older people. “I think art is for everybody,” he maintained. “We should encourage art even for the young people. Even if they are young, they have depth and humanity.”

“Tito Jaime asked me this question before, ‘How will you make the youth appreciate art?’ Up to now, I still don’t have an answer. But art should not be exclusive to the learned one. It should be appreciated by all ages. The music should be appreciated by everybody,” he shared.

“As classical singers, we are so focused on performing that we forget we are delivering a message. Sometimes we forget there are lyrics. That gets sacrificed at times. So, I try as much as I can to use them together. So, you also feel the meaning. I can’t hide behind the music and just my singing. It’s so exposed. That’s why I’m really thankful I’m working with the artists around me.”

“Even if there is war around, art will remain. So, like what Maria Callas said, ‘Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore. I live for the arts, I live for love.’”

Also, in the cast of “Master Class” are soprano and physician Alexandra Bernas as student Sophie de Palma, Angeli Benipayo as the other student Sharon Graham, Nelsito Gomez as stagehand and Louie Angelo Oca as accompanist Manny Weinstock.

Presented by Philippine Opera Company, “Master Class” has a set and production design by Joey Mendoza, costume design by Zeny Gutierrez and suit design for Maria Callas by JC Buendia.

The play runs starting May 15, 8 p.m. at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Theater, with 3 p.m. matinees on May 17, 23, 24 and 30.