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Still high flying and adored Evita Wolverhampton Grand Theatre ****
EVITA is one of the best of the Lloyd Webber/Rice collaborations. Its
themes of power, fame, human triumph, tragedy and frailty are
Shakespearean in ambition, wrapped in a popular accessible package which
delights audiences wherever it goes. Marti Pellow is the
big name draw, but the success of the show depends upon the casting of
Eva Peron, played here
magnificently by Madelena Alberto. Touring productions often have
to be frugal with chorus numbers to keep costs down. But not here. A
large chorus provides a rich vocal sound and the numbers for some
stunning dance scenes , with Buenos Aries a delight, a tribute to
choreographer Bill Needham’s skills.
An innovative set comprising
rising and falling pillars and moving staircases and walkways provides
variety and depth to the stage. The pivotal Don’t Cry for me
Argentina is performed from a balcony created at the front of
the stage with the audience becoming Eva’s adoring crowd, a
performance moving and perfect in every respect. The narrative charts the vertiginous trajectory
of social-climber Eva Duarte, an ambitious actress who meets and
marries Colonel Juan Peron, later president of Argentina. Her appeal to
the people anticipates the Lady Diana phenomenom; her ruthless ambition
is more recently associated with the likes of Madonna, who so memorably
played her in the film adaptation in a case of art imitating life. Narrator and antagonist Ché is omnipresent
on stage to question the couple’s behaviour. During the visually and
musically compelling And the Money Keeps Rolling
In he stands as an irritant, questioning where the money is going,
demanding to know the fate of opponents, and reflecting on whether the
lives of ordinary people have really changed while Eva’s has been
transformed. The show opens and closes with death scenes, an old, but
effective dramatic device that affords pageantry and pathos to the show. The two acts are quite different in tone. In the
first half, narrative pace and crowd scenes dominate in Peron’s rise to
power. In the second half, the narrative becomes more intimate,
culminating in the powerful death scene. Madalena Alberto is superb as
Evita. Her singing soars. Her acting commands and her stage presence
dominates. Marti Pellow plays an understated Ché as the narrator,
singing admirably and content to leave the limelight to Alberto. The
physically tall Mark Heenhan is an imposing Peron, and Sarah McNicholas
as Mistress makes the most of her moment in the sun with a scintillating
Another Suitcase In Another Hall. Conductor and arranger Matthew
Loughran gilds many of the arrangements with Latin rhythms. Don't Cry
For Me Argentina has rarely sounded so soulful and tender, ably
complimented by Alberto’s Latin roots. Eva ages more than 15 years before our eyes, a
feat enabled both by Alberto’s talent for
transformation and the subtle work of the wardrobe and make up
department. She is girly and carefree when first arriving in Buenos
Aires, but once she has captured her man and scents power, she
transforms into a driven, power-dressing, platinum blonde. I’d be
Surprisingly Good For You, her duet with Peron, is a masterpiece of
acting through song, as she seduces and captures her meal-ticket. You
Must Love Me is heart wrenching, plaintiff, and vulnerable. The song was written for the 1996 film,
incidentally and incorporated into the stage version in the 2006 London
production. Co-Directors Bob Thomson and Bill Kenwright have
excelled in this revival which is lavish, engaging and meticulously
presented, and runs to 31-08-13.
Gary Longden
**** POP star Marti Pellow proves to be a
quality actor too in this dramatic award-winning musical by Tim Rice and
Andrew Lloyd Webber. The famous Wet Wet Wet lead singer plays
revolutionary Ché, the narrator who stalks the stage in his black beret,
army boots and combat gear, cleverly linking together the story of
Argentina's political struggles and Eva Peron's remarkable rise to fame. From the moment bearded Marti steps forward to
sing Oh What a Circus the audience know they are set for a
special night. And the rest of the cast also perform superbly in a
musical full of drama, passion and a dash of fun here and there. While Pellow is the big name in the show,
Portuguese-born Madelena Alberto gives a memorable performance as Eva
Peron, the attractive young girl who sleeps her way up the social
ladder, becomes an actress and marries Juan Peron, convincing the army
officer she can help his rise to power. And she succeeds. She sings the emotional Don't Cry for Me
Argentina beautifully, on the balcony alongside her husband,
impressively played by Mark Heenehan, who fell under the spell of the
determined woman. Eva casually dismisses Peron's mistress, a role
which gives Sarah McNicholas an opportunity to thrill the audience with
one of the big numbers, Another Suitcase in Another Hall. And Nic
Gibney, Eva's first lover, Agustin Magaldi, has some of the show's
lighter moments with On This Night of a Thousand Stars. Bill Deamer's slick choreography is particularly
effective in the intricate military marching scenes. To 31-08-13 Paul Marston
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