Eva Duarte was born into a dirt-poor family. By age 26, at the side of Juan Peron, she had become the most powerful woman in Argentina. By 33 she was dead from cancer. The Weber-Rice musical, Evita, opens with her death on July 26, 1952. We then follow her manipulative rise to fame and power.
Peron evokes extremely strong feelings. She was beloved by the lower class, despised by the upper class. Juan Peron reigned through the use of excessive violence against any he thought were against him. Argentina's economy, which was very strong, became a disastrous morass of debt.
Laura Dickinson easily depicts the many sides of Eva, from demure sweetness to an almost demonic pursuit of power and money. She gives the audience a look at Eva's ruthlessness, equally to husband Juan's. Dickinson commands the stage throughout her performance. As the dying Eva, she is at her very best, still projecting power within a wilting body.
The story is guided and accented by a young communist, Che Guevara. Danny Bolero has brilliantly redefined the Che character. He can be flip and carefree, commanding of the masses and the audience, introspective as he watches Eva's power grab, and desperate after Peron's black-coats beat him to near death. He is always the observer, many times also involved. While the story is about Eva, it is controlled and masterminded by the omnipresent Che. Bolero can move with lovely grace one moment and pure violence the next.
Doug Bilitch is a well modulated Juan Peron. He lets us see bits and pieces of the Peron that his character hides to the public. Bilitch quietly portrays the truth that absolute power does corrupt absolutely. Yet, his few outrages are brutal.
One highlight is a well executed tango by Brenna Fleeman and Vincent Zamora. The large cast provided the audience with an excellent Evita. The ensemble creates a huge presence on stage; one moment the poor masses, the next, members of high society, and many as military personnel. Andrew Hammer's set is nontraditional and works perfectly. In fact, it has more flexibility than previous productions I've seen. Also, his use of color and texture give interior scenes an easy believability. Ambra Wakefield's costumes capture the various characters well. Jennifer Edwards-Northover's lighting complements Hammer's set, defining both mood and location nicely.
Patrick Hoyny's sound design has problems. The whole first act, whether by design or malfunction, was over-modulated, giving Laura Dickinson's lovely voice a very harsh sound. The ensemble also come across much, much too loud. Fortunately, the second act sounded much better.
If you have seen the Madonna "Evita," you have not seen Evita.
