Evita

By Derek - 22nd Feb 2007

After a lucklustre film, I wondered if there was still a place for Evita the musical on stage. The influence is obvious – edits have brought the show down to under 2 hours playing time, which left me feeling cheated. The subplot for Che has disappeared so there is no reason for him to show the bitterness to give his irony bite. He remains as an amiable, amused narrator. This is Evita lite.

As Eva, Elena Roger is a charming, athletic actress. Sadly she does not show her character’s professed strength – star quality. Matt Rawle is engaging as a gentle Che, but fails to project the raw, angry sexuality of the role. Thanks be for Philip Quast as Peron! Powerful presence and beautiful singing allow him to show us the dark side of the politician. It seemed appropriate that he was less comfortable in his dance sequences. The supporting cast are excellent, lyrics clearly enunciated and dance exuberantly executed.

It begins darkly and runs on without pause for applause till several big numbers have passed. Unfortunately, when the audience get a chance to show appreciation, it comes after “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” which Abbie Osman sang slightly flat. The audience response by this time was also slightly flat!

The choreography offered us many variations on tango, with stamping instead of marching for the military.

The extended walkdown for applause made us tire of clapping before the principals appeared – so our appreciation for them was as muted as their attack had been throughout the show. At the end, the couples either side of me both commented on their disappointment. Those who have forgotten the original may be content with this version of the show, but I was not.

In Tim Rice’s lyric: “And on the other hand, she’s all they have. She is a diamond in their dull grey lives and that’s the hardest kind of stone it usually survives”… This production survives, but the brilliance of the original has faded.

Derek Benfield