EVITA at the ART - Reviews- Page 4

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 7/29/23 at 5:59pm

If Rachel were really interested in coming to Broadway soon, a better decision might to add her as Clara to the Ruthie Ann Miles production of The Light in the Piazza, assuming its still trying for a transfer. That production likely would need a little more star wattage to sell on Broadway, and I don't think she, alone, is a big enough draw for a production of Evita, with lackluster reviews as the ART production appears to be.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/30/23 at 1:07pm

The rumor was that this was going to Studio 54. Maybe ALW can bring in the touring production of JCS to Broadway instead of Evita. 

[Voter]

Posted: 7/31/23 at 3:47pm

Broadway Flash said: "The rumor was that this was going to Studio 54. Maybe ALW can bring in the touring production of JCS to Broadway instead of Evita."

I can't imagine both H2DIO and Evita coming in the same season

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/1/23 at 10:49pm

QueenAlice said: "If Rachel were really interested in coming to Broadway soon, a better decision might to add her as Clara to the Ruthie Ann Miles production of The Light in the Piazza, assuming its still trying for a transfer. That production likely would need a little more star wattage to sell on Broadway, and I don't think she, alone, is a big enough draw for a production of Evita, with lackluster reviews as the ART production appears to be."

If she has good advisers, I hope they are telling her that she doesn't need her first Broadway show to be a flop, which would be the case with this production.  It has been a month since I saw this, and I have come to have more disdain for it then when I saw it...there was nothing inspired about the production at all.  At least Zegler would be more appropriate casting that the actor who played Evita in Cambridge.  She has talent, but was just wrong for the role.

[BroadwayNoob2]

Posted: 8/24/23 at 8:40pm

Why do you think she’s wrong for the role since she’s about to open in DC. 

[BroadwaysBroad]

Posted: 8/26/23 at 3:26pm

The scenery is beautiful and I hope as another person said that this is coming to studio 54.

I looked at photos and wow - costumes and set wow.

The lighting looks cool, I think they are making some kind of alternate flag in this photo, are those wavy lines of light above the actors heads (in the white part of the flag) a political statement?

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/26/23 at 3:42pm

BroadwayNoob2 said: "Why do you think she’s wrong for the role since she’s about to open in DC."

I’ll get criticized for this, but I didn’t think she looked right for the role.  More importantly, as good as her voice was, I don’t think it was a good match for the songs.  Then there is the totally intangible..she lacked charisma…at least as Evita. Re the poster who said the sets look cool or something like that…ya had to be there…they did nothing for the show and IMO neon rarely works…it looked like it was intended for a different show.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 8/26/23 at 4:23pm

Jarethan said: "BroadwayNoob2 said: "Why do you think she’s wrong for the role since she’s about to open in DC."

I’ll get criticized for this, but I didn’t think she looked right for the role. More importantly, as good as her voice was, I don’t think it was a good match for the songs. Then there is the totally intangible..she lacked charisma…at least as Evita. Re the poster who said the sets look cool or something like that…ya had to be there…they did nothing for the show and IMO neon rarely works…it looked like it was intended for a different show."

She doesn't look right for the role and my agent friend saw it and hated everything about it especially Shereen Pimentel. He said this production will not land on Broadway and not with her as she's all wrong for Eva! He also said no plans are set for Studio 54. https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/events/evita-23-24

 

[MimiChika]

Posted: 8/26/23 at 4:45pm

Robbie2 said: "Jarethan said: "BroadwayNoob2 said: "Why do you think she’s wrong for the role since she’s about to open in DC."

I’ll get criticized for this, but I didn’t think she looked right for the role. More importantly, as good as her voice was, I don’t think it was a good match for the songs. Then there is the totally intangible..she lacked charisma…at least as Evita. Re the poster who said the sets look cool or something like that…ya had to be there…they did nothing for the show and IMO neon rarely works…it looked like it was intended for a different show."

She doesn't look right for the role and my agent friend saw it and hated everything about it especially Shereen Pimentel. He said this production will not land on Broadway and not with her as she's all wrong for Eva! He also said no plans are set for Studio 54.https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/events/evita-23-24

"

Whatever your agent friend thinks of the show or not is irrelevant. You should see the show before you hate it. I saw the show in Cambridge and it’s fantastic.  Anyway the production at A.R.T and STC is being produced by No Guarantees. See you opening night on Broadway. 

Updated On: 8/26/23 at 04:45 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/26/23 at 5:27pm

MimiChika said: "Robbie2 said: "Jarethan said: "BroadwayNoob2 said: "Why do you think she’s wrong for the role since she’s about to open in DC."

I’ll get criticized for this, but I didn’t think she looked right for the role. More importantly, as good as her voice was, I don’t think it was a good match for the songs. Then there is the totally intangible..she lacked charisma…at least as Evita. Re the poster who said the sets look cool or something like that…ya had to be there…they did nothing for the show and IMO neon rarely works…it looked like it was intended for a different show."

She doesn't look right for the role and my agent friend saw it and hated everything about it especially Shereen Pimentel. He said this production will not land on Broadway and not with her as she's all wrong for Eva! He also said no plans are set for Studio 54.https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/events/evita-23-24

"

Whatever your agent friend thinks of the show or not is irrelevant. You should see the show before you hate it. I saw the show in Cambridge and it’s fantastic. Anyway the production at A.R.T and STC is being produced by No Guarantees. See you opening night on Broadway."

 

I figure that I have seen 6 different productions of Evita.  This was absolutely #8 in terms of quality, enjoyment, creativity, so I strongly disagree that this is fantastic.  I would further state that anyone who decides to invest money in taking this to Broadway would do a lot better to write a check to their favorite charity.  At least some good will be derived from that; I can't see any good being derived from taking this to Broadway.  Broadway had already had one failed revival of Evita...it does not need another.

Ironically, I did not hate the performance.  As I have posted previously, it is just a bad production of a great musical.  

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/26/23 at 7:29pm

The poster relayed someone else's opinion...stating as much. Big deal.

 

I saw it in Boston and found it averages, at best. Shereen hit a few klunker notes,  but I thought, overall, she sang the score well. Her acting and stage presence was a total different story, and not in a good way.

 

I'm glad some enjoyed the performance, but I wont be spending more money in this if it does hit Bway. 

 

 

[BroadwayNoob2]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 12:27am

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2023/09/11/sammi-cannold-evita-shakespeare-theatre/

[betyourass]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 12:52pm

Ultimately I found this production to be meh. Felt like a college students got a big budget and a big show to put their "stamp" on. Do we ever discover STARS like we used to? Does that exist anymore? Can't see Zegler carrying this show - and quite frankly don't want to. 

[jagman1062]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 1:06pm

With this morning's announcement that Days of Wine and Roses will be playing Studio 54 in January, I guess the rumors of Evita coming into the theater can be put to rest (for this season, anyway). I wonder if the show is still aiming for Broadway.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 2:55pm

This score is SO specific and demands a VOICE. And a voice that doesn't grate because Eva's songs are in the rafters. You could tell from the preview videos of Shereen in rehearsals that her voice is just not up for the task. And we recently saw how that played out with another revival from the past couple season (please we don't need to dissect it again, it's fact.)

[George in DC]

Posted: 9/14/23 at 3:45pm

OhHiii said: "This score is SO specific and demands a VOICE. And a voice that doesn't grate because Eva's songs are in the rafters. You could tell from the preview videos of Shereen in rehearsals that her voice is just not up for the task. And we recently saw how that played out with another revival from the past couple season (please we don't need to dissect it again, it's fact.)"

 

I agree with what you said, we saw the show yesterday and did not care for Shareen's voice at all. It was very pretty in the lower range but whenever she had to belt and go high, which is often, her voice was shrill and ugly. 

 

The main problem with this production is the direction. It has been a long time since I've seen a professional production directed as badly as this one was. I'll be shocked if this heads to NYC after the DC run.

 

Updated On: 9/14/23 at 03:45 PM

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 9/14/23 at 10:26pm

This is my favorite ALW musical and I would only see this again in NY if they recast Evita. I did like the rest of the cast though but wasn't crazy about the set design either.

[Jmuep2]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 11:28am

I saw this last night and will echo much of what has been here. The biggest problem is the direction. I’m not sure if the director understands the character at all. It’s a mess and all over the place. It seemed more interested in fashion than a story. In between the set design, the costumes and the direction, it felt like an attempted remounting of DIANA. The tango parts of the choreography were great,  it the rest was bad. Even the orchestra sounded rough. The whole thing seemed sleepy, like there was no energy whatsoever. Disappointing. 

[brotherhoodofman]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 9:54am

Washington Post's Peter Marks is a rave:

Stand back, Washington. ‘Evita’ has never been more thrilling.

"So maybe the time is ripe for “Evita” to get another crack at Broadway. The production in Harman Hall has the arresting bona fides for such a gambit."

[bholtzinger544]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 1:23pm

I saw Evita last Wednesday and attended the talk-back after with Shereen, Caesar, Omar, Alysia, Naomi, and Marissa from the cast plus Sammi Cannold and one other individual from the production team. Iain Armitage, who plays Young Sheldon, was in the audience and got to ask the first question at the talkback. Apparently his god-father was in one of the Broadway productions and he knew a fair amount about the show. Shereen and Caesar were definitely standouts for me and enough of a reason to make it worth seeing.

Regarding the show, I struggled to understand a single word for the first 15 minutes of Act 1, the sound was very unbalanced where I was seated in the orchestra. The orchestra overpowers the vocals a good bit of the time, especially for Che. I was not a big fan of the set and thought the arches were overused and added little to the narrative. When Don’t Cry for Me Argentina started, it felt out of place as the second song in Act 2, we had just seen the Peron’s take power at the beginning of Act 2. There was no reason to cry for Eva at that moment, the song didn’t feel earned. The flowers were cool when used but they didn’t feel like a balcony like you’d expect for the song.

During the talkback, Sammi talked about how the grey costuming was inspired by the lyric “She’s a Diamond in their dull grey lives” and due to the popularity of grey clothing during this period in Argentina. She liked it because of how certain lighting colors looked on the costumes. Overall, I didn’t think it worked the best and it made the chorus hard to see most of the time. Shereen also explained how her training at Julliard was in opera which led her to prioritizing understanding the lyrics over some vocal moments. I appreciated this as I thought Shereen and Caesar were the only 2 actors you could consistently understand what they were singing.

Sammi also explained that they put in a new version of the song “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” the prior night. The new concept has the younger mistress character going through similar actions Eva has gone through and Eva witnessing them, showing the cycle and pattern of abuse that is all too common. She said prior, the mistress sat center stage writing in her diary with Eva watching her. Omar explained that Che is not the character’s name, it’s slang for the word man, and it was never said during the show. His goal was to play the character to be any random man in Argentina narrating what happened which I really respected. When you could hear him, he sang the role beautifully. Overall, I’m glad I went to the talkback as it gave some good context for some choices made. If they continue to develop this, I hope they make some changes, it felt too close to a concert production instead of a full production for me.  

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 1:42pm

Sammi also explained that they put in a new version of the song “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” the prior night. The new concept has the younger mistress character going through similar actions Eva has gone through and Eva witnessing them, showing the cycle and pattern of abuse that is all too common. She said prior, the mistress sat center stage writing in her diary with Eva watching her.

Not sure about this - I saw the show in June in Boston and there was no diary. IIRC, the mistress sat next to her suitcase and sang while Eva (or her double? I don't remember) reenacted her various evictions through the arches.

Omar explained that Che is not the character’s name, it’s slang for the word man, and it was never said during the show. His goal was to play the character to be any random man in Argentina narrating what happened which I really respected. "

Ehhhh. I appreciate the everyman concept, but, at least in Boston, this production pretty clearly articulated Che's presence as a former Peronist insider who defected.

 

[bholtzinger544]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 1:52pm

Not sure about this - I saw the show in June in Boston and there was no diary. IIRC, the mistress sat next to her suitcase and sang while Eva (or her double? I don't remember) reenacted her various evictions through the arches.
 

Thank you for clarifying, without seeing it before I had trouble describing how it used to be staged. Shereen commented she was in the scene before so I believe it was Eva. Sammi described her vision for the initial staging as the mistress writing in her diary and reliving memories probably would have been a better explanation of this. I think she even said there wasn't a physical diary on stage. I wish I had recorded the talkback audio to reference, it was interesting to hear why some choices were made. 

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 5:34pm

Thank you so much for sharing so many details about the talk-back! A couple of thoughts:

 bholtzinger544 said: "Shereen also explained how her training at Julliard was in opera which led her to prioritizing understanding the lyrics over some vocal moments."

This comment seems odd to me, because opera in general prioritizes vocal performance over diction to a much greater degree than musical theater. People usually go to an opera for the singing, not for the words.

"Omar explained that Che is not the character’s name, it’s slang for the word man, and it was never said during the show. His goal was to play the character to be any random man in Argentina narrating what happened which I really respected." 

I think this is probably a good approach. Historically, going back to the original 1976 concept album, Che was definitely identifiable with Guevara, with his song about marketing a new insecticide (he was an amateur chemist early in life). Pretty much all of this was excised from the stage production, but the vestigial lyric "from 17 to 24" in "Oh What a Circus" corresponds to Guevara's age from when the Perons took power to when Eva died. Still, that could be true of a random "everyman" as well.

 

Updated On: 9/19/23 at 05:34 PM

[Voter]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 3:08pm

Reviews: What Are Critics Saying About Shakespeare Theatre Company's Evita?

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 10/1/23 at 10:06am

I saw this last week and found it…rough. The direction is incredibly weak and the set is straight up ugly. Roses everywhere? Giant flags that come down as she sings A New Argentina and Rainbow tour? This is not an Evita that should go to Broadway.