Being greeted by profiled paintings of Juan and Eva Peron as you take your seats seems appropriate, as every beat of this classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical echos with the stagecraft of politics. The show begins with a somber quasi-dirge for the fallen Evita, and the shadowed mourners and fog-laced stage provide a perfect counterpoint to our Narrator's description of the scene. Che, our Everyman, details the mourning for dear Eva but also highlights the mounting desperation of the population she loved and left behind.
Throughout the show, Che, played by Josh Young, clues us in to the image Evita fostered and the realities of the people that adored her. He's the balance to the excess, and his storytelling skill shapes the rhythm of the show. Caroline Bowman's Evita is a power-hungry beauty with a heart of maybe-not-the-purest gold, and a soaring, power-laden voice expertly carves a woman out of the legend. From rambunctious, often seductive, high energy choreography to quieter moments of often-saddened reflection, Bowman is a star in a show about a star. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is everything you want it to be in this production, tear-choked emotion ending in impassioned anthem.
Joined by Sean McLaughlin as Juan Peron, the classic power couple's chemistry shapes the environment in which Evita soars and eventually falls. McLaughlin's Peron is ambitious, yet, occasionally stymied by the mountain of pressure before them. That hesitance makes Evita's ambition feel all the more daunting, and their love seem all the more tenuous, passionate. As Eva struggles, we see her vulnerability and her need for Juan's devotion, a more intimate need than her pursuit of an adoring public. We never doubt their commitment to one another, nor their mutual commitment to the life they envision for themselves and, at least theoretically, their country.
Evita is an easier show for me to love than some of Webber's more heavy-handed productions. While never shying from the dramatic, the score, lyrics, personality, and vivacious heart of Evita feel infinitely more relatable than, say, Phantom. It's a story of a legend told very well, in a style (the drama! the music! the dancing!) that Evita herself would likely appreciate.
Evita runs through February 2nd and you can purchase tickets here.
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