Saw this tonight. I have quite a few thoughts to share on this one. I will preface this post by saying that Evita is one of my all time favorite musicals. It's one of those cast recordings that I can listen to all the through without skipping a single song. I love all of the music.
I will start at the beginning. The pre show curtain is this weird floating cardboard cutout of the Perons' profiles. I was not a fan of the floating cutouts that they had of the Perons' heads on Broadway, so I did not really care for this either. When the show was at the Adelphi in London, it was a black screen with a projection of Eva Peron's portrait. I really wish that would have been kept when the revival transferred over. It is so much more coherent with the rest of the design, which is absolutely stunning, but more on that later.
Michael Grandage deserves special mention for some of the most brilliant and visionary directing I have seen in a live production. I would rank the direction of this production up there with Paulus' direction for Pippin and Warchus' direction for Matilda. There are SO many moments and sequences of just sheer brilliance. His direction combined with Rob Ashford's choreography made for an evening of one beautiful stage picture after another. The use of the suitcases for Rainbow Tour and And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out) was genius. The staging of the Montage at the end with the segue from the empty bed to coffin and then the final moment with Eva, Juan, and Che all positioned onstage...CHILLS.
The set, lighting, and costumes... This is by far one of the most beautiful designs I have ever seen. The use of the projections was perfect. The projections were used at precisely the right moments, and added a lot to the show as a whole. I LOVED the opening with the curtain coming up about 1/4 of the way during Requiem, then splitting open in synchronization with the swelling orchestra to reveal the news headline and funeral footage. The "big reveal" of the whole set at the top of Buenos Aires is worth the price of the ticket alone. The set is so elegant, grandiose, and detailed. It served as an appropriate canvas for all the scenes, and it required little alterations or changes. The lighting captured the heat and sweat of Buenos Aires flawlessly. The light pouring through the doors and windows was also beautiful beyond belief.
The cast was fine for the most part. Josh Young is definitely the standout here. He really captured the essence of Che, and I loved how he faded in and out of the action so seamlessly. Caroline Bowman... I do not think that she had the voice or the stage presence for the role. Don't get me wrong, her voice was very pretty, but it just sounded a little weak. She never really seemed to commandeer the stage. I am accustomed to Eva having a harsh edge and bite and a bitchy side, but Bowman did not really embody this in her performance. i guess it was just a different approach. I was underwhelmed by her during the first act, and thought her Don't Cry... was boring, but then suddenly, out of nowhere, she just LET LOOSE during Rainbow High. I thought to myself, "where has this voice and attitude been for the past ninety minutes?". I definitely liked her more after seeing the second act, but she was still a little underwhelming. She seemed a little lost with the character.
Overall, this is a GREAT production with a lot of really, really beautiful things both from visual and directorial standpoints. I think it is CRIMINAL that this did not receive Tony nods during its season for set, lighting, orchestrations, and directing.
This is by far the highest quality touring production I have seen in terms of set, lighting, and costumes. It is truly a visual feast, and there is not a wrinkled backdrop in sight. I would highly recommend seeing this if it is close to your city. I will definitely be going back a couple times this week, and I look forward to seeing what Desi Oakley does with the role.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
