EVITA Reviews- Page 8

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:28am

Why? Her reviews weren't much better, as she has said herself AND as has been pointed out here repeatedly.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:32am

Egg Humor, I was questioning whether Bennett would be considered for Best Actress in a Musical when her show is generally characterized as a Play. I'm aware that the Tony's are inconsistent in to what/who qualifies for what category. As I said, I didn't like either performance -- one ineffective and one too over-the-top. If Bennett lands up in the Best Actress in a Musical category, she's got some fierce competition from Audra McDonald and, maybe, Kelly O'Hara; if she's up for Best Actress in a Play, she's going to contend with Stockard Channing, Linda Lavin and Rosemary Harris. Either way, I don't think she's going to win, but that's just my opinion.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:33am

I've always thought that the success of the show--and the creation of the LuPone fanbase--was due to the TV commercial. Like a few other Broadway commercials of the era, it was electrifying 60 seconds and used wisely on shows with nationwide reach.

http://youtu.be/o98FxOza6-s

From Patti revolving in to Mandy's "...not much to ASSSSK for..." to the dancing shots to Mandy opening the beer bottle with his teeth to the sneer on Patti's face at the end...it made people like the show and love Patti and Mandy, before they even bought their tickets.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:35am

Definitely an iconic commercial, and of course we can't post it without also posting this....
The commercial for INDIRA!

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:50am

So did Patti go to opening night???

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:50am

I think we're talking about two entirely different things - the musical may have spurred you to find out more about Eva, but you would get a lot more information and insight about her, Peron, and Argentina from a few Wikipedia paragraphs than the entire long show.

Rice's work is nothing more than a skeleton outline of events, filled in with banal, childlike rhymes.

Okay. I understand where you are coming from now.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:55am

That commercial is iconic PJ. I remember that ad running constantly when the show was at it's height. The wig and costume Patti wears for BUENOS AIRES is atrocious it makes her look like a 50 year old hag and she's actually supposed to be young. She looks much younger and prettier in the DON'T CRY FOR ME scenes with the blond hair and angelic lighting. Although I must say at the very end when her eyes get wide and she belts out, "STAR QUAL-AH-TEE" and she sneers it used to scare the sh!t outta me when I was a kid!

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 11:55 AM

[Riff2]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:56am

INDIRA; hysterical

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 11:56am

I doubt Patti or Mandy went to the opening. Their pictures would have been EVERYWHERE if they would have attended.

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 12:01pm

I know!! haha just so many people on this board have been like, "Of course Patti will attend with Mandy" for months, all knowingly, so just wanted to check!

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 12:04pm

A friend was with Patti a few nights ago, and she definitely said she's planning to attend.

I never thought she'd go to the opening. I think she would feel that was disrepectful to Elena Roger. Also I doubt she'd want to see Webber.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 12:08pm

Maybe they weren't invited to opening night. I wouldn't be suprised if they went at some point.

And goodness I wish I'd been able to see the original: that commercial alone was more exciting then the entire prodcution I sat through last week!

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 12:13pm

That commercial didn't run much (if at all) outside of NY until the touring company came through.

It was the cast recording that got me and my fellow theatre friends in the Midwest interested, particularly after we heard Patti's voice.

EDIT: By the way, I think that recording was out very early on, since they recorded it in Los Angeles prior to the Broadway run.

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 12:13 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 12:44pm

Why? Her reviews weren't much better, as she has said herself AND as has been pointed out here repeatedly.

It has nothing to do with her reviews. Nearly every single one of these reviews mentioned how Roger doesn't have the big voice LuPone does, and compared Roger unfavorably to her. Brantley even quoted her memoirs in his review!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 12:53pm

I would only caveat that Adamgreer by saying she was compared to the 'legacy' of LuPone. Most of these critics didn't see LuPone in the role and perhaps aren't even aware that her performance, at the time, was widely criticized (and often panned). If anything I would imagine LuPone, who can surprisingly be a class-act, would be calling Elena Roger and saying - don't worry about what's been written -- its ultimately meaningless to how you will be remembered in the role.



Updated On: 4/6/12 at 12:53 PM

[newintown]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:12pm

I really doubt that Ms. Roger will receive the same kind of boost to stardom form that that Lupone and only Lupone received (at least in the US).

Which inspires a question - has anyone been suddenly thrust into stardom by appearing in a revival? In the same way that Streisand was in Funny Girl, Channing was in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Lupone was in Evita?

It seems to me that you need to truly originate a role (in the first Broadway production) in order to get that kind of career lift. But I could be wrong.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:13pm

I would second what Michael Bennett says, adamgreer, and add that LuPone was compared unfavorably to Elaine Paige when she opened the show.

Which inspires a question - has anyone been suddenly thrust into stardom by appearing in a revival? In the same way that Streisand was in Funny Girl, Channing was in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Lupone was in Evita?

I think you could argue Audra McDonald for Carousel.

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 01:13 PM

[newintown]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:23pm

Audra certainly received good attention in Carousel, but I don't think it was anything like real stardom like the divas I mentioned earlier.

In fact, Audra has yet to originate a starring role in a hit Broadway show.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:34pm

I think you'd have to go back almost that far though to find any star of that magnitude who emerged simply from appearing in a Broadway show!

[random person 112]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:46pm

^Alan Cumming New in town.
Certainly broadway stardom For Kelli O'Hara and a it certainly helped Kristin Chenoweth.

The girls who played the 'dreams' in dreamgirls. Updated On: 4/6/12 at 01:46 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:47pm

Sutton Foster in Mille, Idina and (arguably) Kristin in Wicked.

Definitely Broadway stars.

EDIT: I would say that Audra, Marin, and Donna Muprhy all got there from multiple shows, but not one "catapulting" role in particular.

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 01:47 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:56pm

Those weren't revivals though. I think perhaps Cheno would most meet the criteria as someone who's performance in a revival really was the immediate catalyst for stardom. She was able to pretty immediately parlay that Tony win for You're a Good Man Charlie Brown into a viable television career.

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 01:56 PM

[bdn223]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:56pm

Kristen Chenowith for Your a Good Man Charlie Brown, though you could argue it was a new role created for the revival.

And did anyone else notice how a lot of the reviews kept refering to the then fight between Webber and Rice over whether Eva is a hero or a villain...and as of this moment Rice hates Webber over the JCSS reality show... and has vowed not to let the winner perform.

[random person 112]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:57pm

I still say Alan Cumming for another major star to come out of revival.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 1:59pm

While Cheno won the Tony, I don't think that role made her a Broadway star (which is why I said "arguably" above). I don't think Rent made Idina one either. Wicked did that for both of them.

"Those weren't revivals."

No, and neither were Funny Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, or Evita for those star-making performances of Streisand, Channing, and LuPone.

I was responding to your own comment, MB, of "I think you'd have to go back almost that far though to find any star of that magnitude who emerged simply from appearing in a Broadway show!"

You don't have to go back that far.

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 01:59 PM