Crowd-pleasing musical “Evita” opens Rep’s 52th season
– By Cate Marquis –
The Repertory Theater of opened its 52th season with “Evita,” a hit Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice which has previously graced both the Fox and Muny theater stages. Of course, this is the Rep’s own production, not a Broadway tour like one might find at the Fox.
This is the last season for the Rep’s long-time Artistic Director, Steven Woolf, who will be retiring. Once, the Rep could be counted on to open a new season with a big drama, often Shakespeare but nearly always a great classic. Some of the best opening productions have been “Metamorphoses,” “M. Butterfly,” and “Red.”
Still, “Evita” is a crowd favorite and one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biggest hits. “Evita” is Argentina’s charismatic first lady Eva Peron, a figure unique in Argentinian history for her cult-like following and whom ordinary Argentinians nicknamed Evita (little Eva). The musical follows Eva Duarte de Peron from her humble beginnings as an ambitious teenager who comes to Buenos Aires in the late 1930s, to beloved First Lady, and then her death at age 33 of cancer in 1952, while offering criticism and commentary on her life. Blonde beauty Evita was a one-time actress from a poor background whose populist touch and impassioned speeches helped propel her husband, general-turned-politician Juan Peron, to the presidency. Evita had her strongest following among poor Argentinians but despite the adoration, Juan and Eva Peron delivered little for them, a fact pointed out in the musical by Che Guevara, the Argentine-born revolutionary who serves as a foil to Evita.
“Evita” is really built around two characters, Evita (Michelle Aravena) and Che (Pepe Nufrio), who present differing views of the conflicting views of this real-life person. Was Evita really someone committed to helping ordinary Argentinians, as her acts of charity and impassioned speeches suggest, or was she an ambitious social-climber with a taste for luxuries? The musical allows the audience to decide for themselves.
Rob Ruggiero directs the Rep’s production, while Gustavo Zajac handles choreography and Charlie Alterman serves as music director. Scenic design and the projections, often archival footage of the real Perons in the mid-late 1940s, are handled well by Luke Cantarella, while the excellent period costumes are the domain of Alejo Vietti.
The musical actually opens with Evita’s funeral, with Che narrating and commenting on Evita’s life and complicated legacy. Michelle Aravena is excellent as Evita, playing her from her days as an ambitious teenager in a small town who longs to move to Buenos Aires, that country’s “Big Apple,” to become an actress in Buenos Aires. Evita achieved her ambition largely by seducing men in positions to help her, and trading up to the next useful man, one long before any of them could discard her as they did other women. She knows she has hit gold when she meets the much older Juan Peron, well played by Sean MacLaughlin. The ambitious politician soon realizes he too has hit gold in this charismatic young woman with an ability to rally the masses to their support. While Peron is part of a populist left-leaning political party that helped overthrow the military government, he has his own personal ambitions.
One of the permanent pleasures of nearly any production of the Rep is the outstanding staging and dazzling costumes. While other companies skimp on costumes and settle for adequate sets, the Rep’s sets are magnificent, often another character in the play. “Evita” is no exception, and it is striking even before the actors set foot on stage. The Broadway production calls for a two-tiered set, a balcony above a multi-purpose stage floor, with a large portrait of Evita as a center piece. In the production at the Fox, the balcony and portrait had a smooth, stylized and flawless Art Deco quality but the Rep’s version is a more realistic portrait, and one that is a bit frayed and worn around the edges, like a fading street poster. That choice says far more about the mysterious character at the center of the play.
One has to admire Evita’s intelligence and her ability to survive but Pepe Nufrio’s Che provides the balance and context to her actions. While Evita climbs her ladder to success, Che is the voice that ironically, and often humorously, points out the shady underside of what she is doing. The musical has some of the best dialog and lyrics of any of Andrew Lloyd Webbers’ works, thanks to Tim Rice’s book. Che inserts sly commentary and critiques as Eva and her admirers praise her cunning and boldness. When Evita faces the disdain of the Argentinian rich for her poverty-stricken beginnings or opposition from the generals in Peron’s party for being a mere woman as well as an actress, Che is more inclined to support her. When Peron is elected President on a populist platform, Che is hopeful, but his voice turns more biting as it becomes clear the Perons are doing more to enrich themselves than help the poor. Still Evita continues to give rousing speeches and engage in individual acts of charity, and her popularity grows anyway.
While the musical lets the audience decide what kind of woman Evita was, it makes clear that she craved the love of the Argentine people. That feeling is made clear in the musical’s signature hit song, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.” Michelle Aravena delivers the showstopper with all the verve and emotion it calls for. The rest of the cast do well with their songs as well, although one wishes Pepe Nufrio’s voice as Che could have been a little showier, to better match Aravena’s. Opening weekend, some issues with the sound in the first act made it hard to understand the lyrics, so important in this play, but the sound quality improved in the second act. Ironically, Nicolas Davila, who plays Agustin Magaldi, a mediocre singer who is one of Evita’s early discarded lovers, has a surprisingly good voice and he was a vocal highlight. The musical calls for both signing and acting prowess, and the cast rose to meet both challenges. Nufrio as Che met the acting challenge particularly well, well matched by Aravena as Evita, giving the audience a splendid performance.
“Evita” is a fine opening for the Rep’s new season, although fans of the Rep’s fine dramatic productions still long for a return to non-musicals openers. “Evita” runs through Sept. 30 on the Repertory Theater of St. Louis’ Mainstage, 130 Edgar Rd, Webster Groves, MO.
