Women in politics --- history has provided many examples proving that the so-called weaker sex is more than a match for its male counterpart, in this arena.
The name of Eva Peron would appear in any list of politically-prominent women, particularly those from the post-War era. Originally a small-town girl, she rose through the night-club circuit and television to marry General Peron, who eventually overcame his rivals and became President of Argentina --- a virtual dictator. Eva, or ’’Evita’’, was said to be the power behind the throne, and became a popular cult-figure for the Argentinian masses.
A likely topic for a musical? Perhaps not; but composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice proved the sceptics wrong when ’’Evita’’ became a smash hit on London’s West End in 1976. It has proved to be the most enduring of the Webber-Rice collaborations as, twenty-odd years later, it still remains in public consciousness --- most recently, through the medium of cinema.
Its popularity is well deserved. It has all the requisite ingredients --- an engrossing plot, pithy lyrics, memorable melodies and infectious (Latin-American) rhythms. However, this musical attempted something unheard of since the days of Bertolt Brecht --- political comment. Drawing from recent history, the plot has an immediacy; the familiarity of recent headlines and how they compare with current affairs.
The title character too is easily identifiable --- the quintessential modern career-woman, with all her ambition and ambivalence. Her story is told through the cynical observations of Che Guevara, a Communist rebel.
’’Evita’’ has had many productions over the years, throughout the world. This is its third staging in Bombay and, like the two before, it has been directed by Alyque Padamsee.
Or rather, ’’Conceived and Directed by Alyque Padamsee’’, according to the ’’Creative Credits’’ in the programme. The names of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice do not figure anywhere in this publication. One wonders why, especially since copyright demands it.
In the ’’Director’s Note’’, Padamsee says his production is ’’an examination of how a myth is manufactured and sold to the public’’ by the media. Sure, we do occasionally see a person holding a Handycam running around the stage --- we are even afforded a glimpse of what he is ’’shooting’’ by way of a clever virtual-video projected onto the cyclorama. Also, at one time, we see a crowd of reporters aimlessly milling around Evita’s sick-bed. Such references to the media are few and far between --- if this is a ’’conception’’, it is far from immaculate.
The production is actually a pretty straight-forward, typically glitzy presentation with no earth-shattering insights. Though there is no spoken dialogue as such in the musical, Padamsee departs from the norm by introducing commentary, spoken by Che, between the numbers. The purist will find this an intrusion; however the average person’s grasping power and attention-span being what they are today, the commentary serves an elucidatory purpose, though some of the asides are insufferably arch.
The director’s real achievement lies in his creation of stunning, memorable stage pictures, especially in the big crowd scenes; for example, Evita’s funeral at the beginning and end of the play. The production is something of a technical tour de force, as Padamsee makes full- blooded use of all the techno-magic at his disposal. Indeed, one has probably never seen some of the special effects before in this country (though God help the man who is allergic to the foul-smelling smoke emitted from the fog-machine, which is used often and with gusto).
Another worthy feature of the production is Terrence Lewis’ vibrant choreography. Dancing, in the musical theatre, must be a part of the action, the dancers becoming actors. It is to Lewis’ credit that he follows this principle at least some of the time --- to such great effect that one wishes he never varied from it by opting (as he often does) for the merely decorative. In any case, his dancers have athleticism, precision and pizzazz.
But what of Evita herself? This musical stands or falls on the strengths of its star; and Sharon Prabhakar Padamsee, on the whole, does not disappoint.
The voice has retained its freshness and now has an added bloom of maturity that makes it sweeter, less strident than before --- she sings her opening number like an angel. One is less happy with her vocal mannerisms, nor can she vocally convey Evita’s ’’steel’’ in later scenes. And, though the idea of interpolating ’’Memory’’ from ’’Cats’’ (with different lyrics) makes the character too cloying, who can comp1ain when it is so beautifully sung, the final note held for ages, in full voice, with near-complete security? Yet, one musn’t forget that acting is part of the deal; and here Ms Padamsee strikes too many poses and is too superficially driven, to make her portrayal of this multi-faceted woman truly come to life.
Similarly, the young Chaitanya Bhonsle does more or less what one expects as Che Guevara, though one misses a sense of inner fire. He moves well but his diction is sometimes unintelligible. It is a strange voice; hard-toned at times, and taking a while to warm-up (the opening ’’Oh what a circus’’ was a disaster) but with free, ringing top notes.
Farid Currim lacks the right physicality and vocal quality for General Peron, coming across somewhat weak, when self-assurance, underscored with menace, and a darker tone are called for.
In sum, this production remains very much a vehicle for its director and star. While one admires all the expertise that has gone into it, one can’t help feeling that the musical’s essence is lost somewhere, in all the exorbitance.
Ultimately, this ’’Evita’’ may excite the senses; but rarely touches the heart.