Maria Callas' portrait in Dutch resto was a mistaken identity. A Filipina tourist wandered into Platia, a classy Greek restaurant in the small town of Druten in The Netherlands, over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see an etched portrait of Cherie Gil hanging on the wall. “No, that is Maria Callas, the famous opera singer,” the waiter told her.
Left; Maria Callas one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Right: Cherrie Gil a Filipina actress
A Filipina tourist wandered into Platia, a classy Greek restaurant in the small town of Druten in The Netherlands, over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see an etched portrait of Cherie Gil hanging on the wall.
Over dinner Noemi Katuin asked the waiter why the face of a Filipina actress appeared to be the centerpiece of Platia’s fancy interiors.
“No, that is Maria Callas, the famous opera singer,” the waiter told her.
“I then showed him the exact photo of Cherie from the internet,” Katuin shared on Facebook late Saturday.
Apparently, the restaurant had commissioned the portrait of the American-born Greek soprano to celebrate her Greek heritage. However, the artist they had hired mistakenly copied a publicity photo of Gil in character as Callas in a 2010 Philippine production of the Terrence McNally play “Master Class”.
Produced by the Philippine Opera Company, the play is based on a series of master classes given by the renowned opera singer at the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1971 and 1972.
“They were so stupefied to learn they commissioned for the wrong portrait and it’s been hanging here for 2 years! Now they want their money back from the artist who did it! Hahaha!” added Katuin, who posted a photo of herself posing beside the portrait.
Gil, who is famous for her movie line “You’re nothing but a second-rate trying-hard copycat!”, also channeled Callas in her role in the 2013 movie “Sonata” as an opera diva who retreats to her ancestral home in Bacolod after losing her voice.
Below is a publicity photo of Platia’s interiors with the Gil-Callas portrait displayed prominently in the background.
