LEGENDARY ITALIAN ACTRESS
Legendary Italian actress Monica Bellucci will play 20th century soprano Maria Callas in an interpretive performance of Letters and Memoirs—the autobiographical book written by the late opera singer—in a one-woman show directed by Tom Volf at the Beacon Theater in New York on January 27. Buy tickets here and watch the trailer here.
MONICA BELLUCCI INTERPRETS
MARIA CALLAS’ LETTERS AND MEMOIRS LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATER IN
NEW YORK ON JANUARY 27
ONE NIGHT ONLY
Bellucci made her debut in Paris and has continued to perform in capitals around the world, including in Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Milan and at Her Majesty Theater in London, of which The Guardian notes, “It is a thrilling pairing…the impossibly glamorous actor Monica Bellucci playing the impossibly glamorous soprano Maria Callas, a case of one diva paying homage to another.”
To celebrate the publication by Albin Michel of Maria Callas’ Letters and Memoirs, Monica Bellucci began performing in 2019, taking to historic global stages in a series of readings for a glimpse into the life of Maria Callas. From her discreet beginnings at the opera to the pinnacle of a globally recognized career—complicated by scandal, love, lust and personal hardship—this unique story reveals, for the first time, the true story behind the opera legend.
About Monica Bellucci
Monica Bellucci was born on 1964 in Citta di Castello, Italy. After studying law, she began her modeling career with the famous Elite Milan agency. At 25, Monica headed toward cinema and landed her first roles in Italy, notably in La Riffa. Shortly after she started picking up roles in France, including in L'Appartement for which she is nominated for a César; the actress then accumulated successes in films such as Le Pacte des Loups and Asterix Mission Cleopatre.
At the same time, she embarked on an international career, taking over the role originally played by Romy Schneider in Suspicion, then the American remake of Garde à Vue and finding herself opposite Bruce Willis in Les Larmes du Soleil. She also appears in the second and third parts of the Matrix saga: Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Imagined by Mel Gibson as Mary Magdalene, she joins the cast of The Passion of the Christ (2004) and also plays in The Brothers Grimm by director Terry Gilliam. She continued her career in France with Bertrand Blier's Combien Tu M'Aimes and Guillaume Nicloux's Le Concile de Pierre. In 2006, she was a jury member at the 59th Cannes Film Festival, chaired by Wong Kar-Wai.
In 2011 she was part of the large cast of the Italian romance L'amour A Ses Raisons by Giovanni Veronesi and the French drama Un Eté Brûlant by Philippe Garrel. In 2012 she played the female lead in the Iranian drama Rhino Season, written and directed by Bahman Ghobadi. In 2015 she joined the inner circle of James Bond girls under the direction of Sam Mendes for Spectre. Then in 2017 she played in On the Milky Road by Emir Kusturica and joined the third season of the series Twin Peaks.
Since then Bellucci has appeared on Call My Agent! as well as in a series of European and international films, including Oscar- nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin by Kaouther Ben Hania, Les Fantasmes by Stéphane and David Foenkinos, The Girl In The Fountain by Antongiulio Panizzi, Memory by Martin Campbell and most recently Siccita by Paolo Virzi, presented at the 79th Venice Film Festival.
Monica will star in Catherine Hardwicke’s comedy Mafia Mamma alongside Toni Collette.
About Maria Callas
Born in New York City in 1923, Maria Callas captivated international audiences with her renowned opera performances. She made her professional debut with the Royal Opera of Athens in Boccaccio and soon after won her first major role in Tosca. Following World War II, Callas appeared in La Gioconda, launching her career in Italy to critical acclaim. In 1954 she made her American debut in Norma at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Callas became just as much known for her diva-like temperament—earning the nickname “the tigress”—as she was for her impressive vocal range and dazzling presentation.
For more information, please contact
Krista Williams or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
