The first stage production of Evita was on June 21st. 1978, in the Prince of Wales Theatre in England. It was a collaboration of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice who later won awards for the movie version of this play. They started working on this play in 1974 and the first record was produced and released in 1976.
So is this play still a favorite today? Very much so. It’s still a sell out play to-date. Many tours have been done by professional stage players, but I also enjoyed the amateur productions of this wonderful play.
The original roles were played by Elaine Paige (Eva Peron), David Essex (Che) and Joss Ackland (Juan Peron). I saw Elaine Paige sing at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday on television, singing, ’’Don’t cry for me Argentina’’ and she was still able to add elegance and talent to the song.
The play was performed by a local theatrical group in my area, in 1986 (10 years after the original opening). I was privileged to be apart of the making of Evita, in a small way. I was asked to work making costumes and was already working as a volunteer out front in the box office area as an usher, sitting people for the play. Not a big job but truly a rewarding one.
I was impressed with how they chose the actors for the parts, the stage preparation and the local talent for the roles. I remember the young blonde who was chosen to play Eva Peron. She fit the part to-a-tee, demanding status, temper-mental and her fear of heights (when she had to stand on the scaffold to do the balcony scene for ’’Don’t cry for me Argentina’’). She pulled it off beautifully, once the attitude was tamed by the director.
My favorite character role was that of Che. A rebel, invisible to the beautiful Eva. He represented the people, in their struggles to exist in a troubled country, at that time. A people who at times hated and at other times loved Evita, with few in betweens. The people were searching for a martyr and found solace in Evita for the short time she was in the spotlight.
The young man who played Che was powerful, doing justice to the part. He had played in many other productions before, but this role won him a professional role in Toronto after Evita ended. He was tall and talented, making him a perfect Che, with enough talent in singing and dancing, in this wonderful musical, yet maintaining great ability, to create the role, as a believable one.
The role of Juan Peron was played by a young lawyer/ part-time actor, who was new to our area. He proved lawyers have talent (well in areas beyond the courtroom anyway). Juan Peron was a man known for his love of power in politics, devotion and mostly for his captivation for Eva. He was marvelous in his aura of ability.
After watching rehearsals, dress rehearsal and the actual play 4 times, I still walked away from this play captivated and satisfied. I later went on to enjoy the movie played by Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce.
Evita was a truly modern day heroine (the real Eva died in 1952 at the age of 33), who gave the people of Argentina, something to believe in. the only thing I have read of controversy about this story was the scene (in the movie version) in which the middle class family of Eva’s father rejected her (which the real family denies). The play itself, showed nothing of this scene.
If Evita, were to come to your area, treat yourself to this great masterpiece of theatrics. You will walk away with a little history and a lot of entertainment.