Reviewed by Ewart Shaw, Thursday 23rd September 2021.
Evita brings the personal and the political to the stage of the Arts Theatre in this well-crafted production from the Gilbert and Sullivan Society which, for some years, has successfully scheduled other musicals alongside the Mikados and Ruddigores of their traditional remit. It's a very fine and rewarding piece of music theatre.
If you only know the hit song, Don't Cry For Me, Argentina, then you'll be surprised by the rest of the show. It's a cynical survey of a difficult time in the history of the Republic of Argentina, with ongoing relevance to the rest of the world. The story begins at the end. A black and white movie is interrupted by the news of Evita's death and people sing a Latin requiem, for she is seen, almost like the Virgin Mary, as a mother to the poor, the shirtless, the descaminados of the streets of Buenos Aires. Out of that crowd as it drifts offstage comes Eva Duarte and the adventure begins.
Director, Gordon Combes, is well served by five fine principals, and an ensemble of thirty adults and children. They are well served by choreographer Sarah Williams, for even when the stage is packed with movement, it never seems cramped. The two make an impressive team.
Eva Duarte rises to power over a heap of discarded lovers including the popular singer Magaldi. Juan Peron rises to power through a series of assassinations. Their ascent is witnessed by Che, not the Che Guevara of the first American production, but Che, a man in the street, whose admiration for Evita at the start turns to anger and resentment as he witnesses the corruption of the Peronist regime.
Tegan Gully-Crispe paces herself carefully through the first act and shines in the big tune at the start of the second act, with sturdy support from James McCluskey-Garcia as Juan Peron. Jared Frost, as Che, grabs your attention and holds it all the way to the end. James Nicholson as Magaldi, the entertainer, has a fine voice and doesn't attempt the sort of fake Latino accent that others might.
There is one other principal character. When Evita lands Peron, she goes to his apartment and rudely evicts his fifteen-year-old mistress, throwing the girl's clothes over the banister. Grace Carter takes her few minutes on stage and brings to Another Suitcase in Another Hall immense emotional depth, well-deserving her opening night applause. Her character is about the same age as Evita when she began her climb to the top. You just know this girl won't make it, and you care.
At the end, the cyclorama at the back of the stage rises, and there's the 18 piece orchestra, directed by Jillian Gulliver, which accompanied the cast so securely, with especially sumptuous woodwind, brass, and solo guitar
If I have one quibble with Anne Humphries' costumes, it's this, when Evita visits the Vatican and is blessed by the Pope, he's in red; he should be in white.
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