#26
Posted: 2/13/12 at 3:08pm
I think Michael Bennett is absolutely right about the allegorical nature of the original material. (It was that quality which made occasional biographical details such as Che's complaints about his insecticide stand out like sore thumbs.)
But Peron had only been dead a few years and his associates and supporters were still major players in Argentinian politics. His second wife was just finishing her presidency when the concept album was released. And of course Che Guevara was still an admired figure, not only in Argentina and Cuba, but anywhere Latin Americans were struggling against oligarchs.
So treating these people as if they were mythical figures such as Joseph, Jesus and Judas was always a little unsettling. (For those who believe Jesus was an historical person and the Son of God, fine. Here, I'm only speaking of his appearance in Rice's allegory.)
I think we would have seen more protests of Rice's treatment of real Argentinos if England or the U.S. had larger Argentinian exile populations, just as Mexican-Americans were beginning to complain strongly about the way their historical figures, such as Pancho Villla, were portrayed in Anglo projects.
There is a fair ethical issue IMO concerning the tradition of First World artists simply using Third World historical figures as fodder for stories the First World wants to tell itself. It's a form of cultural theft and reduces important Third World figures to mere literary and dramatic devices. Unfortunately, the critical discussion when EVITA opened tended to center on whether Fascists were being glorified because Eva had nice outfits and big numbers, a much more superficial view of the issues that arise from Rise's treatment.
Don't get me wrong: I've grown as fond of the score as anyone. But ethically, Rice might have been better off inventing allegorical characters rather than appropriating them so casually from another culture.
ETA giving the Perons realistic sets does not solve this issue. If anything, it makes the problem worse.
ETA2 I don't mean this to be a blanket condemnation of Tim Rice. I admire much of his work and EVITA is my favorite of his librettos. The issue of cultural appropriation was in its early discussions, mostly in academia, when he wrote EVITA, and as has been discussed here, he certainly worked hard not to reduce Eva Peron to easy conclusions like "good" or "bad"--and for that he deserves much credit.
But Peron had only been dead a few years and his associates and supporters were still major players in Argentinian politics. His second wife was just finishing her presidency when the concept album was released. And of course Che Guevara was still an admired figure, not only in Argentina and Cuba, but anywhere Latin Americans were struggling against oligarchs.
So treating these people as if they were mythical figures such as Joseph, Jesus and Judas was always a little unsettling. (For those who believe Jesus was an historical person and the Son of God, fine. Here, I'm only speaking of his appearance in Rice's allegory.)
I think we would have seen more protests of Rice's treatment of real Argentinos if England or the U.S. had larger Argentinian exile populations, just as Mexican-Americans were beginning to complain strongly about the way their historical figures, such as Pancho Villla, were portrayed in Anglo projects.
There is a fair ethical issue IMO concerning the tradition of First World artists simply using Third World historical figures as fodder for stories the First World wants to tell itself. It's a form of cultural theft and reduces important Third World figures to mere literary and dramatic devices. Unfortunately, the critical discussion when EVITA opened tended to center on whether Fascists were being glorified because Eva had nice outfits and big numbers, a much more superficial view of the issues that arise from Rise's treatment.
Don't get me wrong: I've grown as fond of the score as anyone. But ethically, Rice might have been better off inventing allegorical characters rather than appropriating them so casually from another culture.
ETA giving the Perons realistic sets does not solve this issue. If anything, it makes the problem worse.
ETA2 I don't mean this to be a blanket condemnation of Tim Rice. I admire much of his work and EVITA is my favorite of his librettos. The issue of cultural appropriation was in its early discussions, mostly in academia, when he wrote EVITA, and as has been discussed here, he certainly worked hard not to reduce Eva Peron to easy conclusions like "good" or "bad"--and for that he deserves much credit.
Updated On: 2/13/12 at 03:08 PM
