Jamie Lloyd-helmed EVITA revival to play the London Palladium in 2025- Page 14

[theblackumbrella]

Posted: 6/16/25 at 10:47am

Could Hadestown move to a different theater so Evita could use the Kerr? Is it the type of thing where the Evita producers would have to pay for the relocation - set, etc. for the new theater.

[BJR]

Posted: 6/16/25 at 11:38am

binau said: "rosscoe(au) said: I think this is a fair question, but if you saw the show you wouldn'task it trust me haha. It all makes sense in the context. As others have picked up, the blonde wig and costume is part of the theatrical device about how artificial and fake she is. We actually see her take the wig off after the song. So what the 'public' see - warm, lyrical, sweet, made up in a beautiful wig and gown, is in fact all an act. What we see on screen is Eva manipulating the public (who are all crowding around lapping up - LITERALLY I mean look at the videos filmed from outside. It's like that white bear episode of Blackmirror where everyone has their phones up they can't help it, they can't turn away).it's all fake so it even seems fitting that it is on screen and not real. What we, the audience, see is the 'real' Eva. Cold, calculating, ambitious, starving for fame. It's almost sickening to watch her "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" because we know how fake it all is.




Note: We can't actually obviously see how big the crowd is from the inside, they don't show us. I only knew it was big because I saw it crowding at intermission (I guess what you'd expect for first preview). I assume that they can't predict there will always be crowds so they can't build in a crowd shot by default, but if they could/if it turns out there is a small crowd each day I think it would be chilling if they did."

This is brilliant. And it makes me remember how Tim Rice always talk about how Don’t Cry… is all a lie, that it’s a lovers song with a politician speaking a bunch of empty rhetoric and stringing it to together to make the crowd love her. Indeed the original lyric and title was It’s Only Your Lover Returning. 

And I’ve always wondered, with that in mind, how could one play that as a lie. Famously, like with Marry Me a Little, it’s very hard to lie in a song. 
 

But this would do it. And theatricalize it. Brilliant. 

[getatme]

Posted: 6/16/25 at 11:45am

I've been told the earliest this would come is early 2027. ALW won't want to have Evita competing against Cats at the Tonys next year and Jamie is booked with other work fall 2026. Possible things change, but as of now that's the plan.

The Kerr is far too small for any production of Evita.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/16/25 at 2:07pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "I can’t see this using any outdoor part of the Beaumont. The roof is about 8 stories off the ground and that’s the only place that’s anything like a balcony. Unless they’re meaning the internal lobby balcony, but there’s not a hint of the architecture or “outdoors” that the moment calls for. And there’d be zero crowd.

Realistically it’s just the Kerr. Both the St James and Majestic are too close to 8th Avenue and all its craziness/sirens/motorbikes. The moment would be ruined throughout. At least the Kerr is a bit more sheltered and is far from the frenetic energy of the mid-40 streets."

 

The Kerr is sheltered?  There's a fire station on the corner a few hundred feet away!  The August Wilson would be a bit more on the quieter side -- plus they'll have to renovate anyway after CABARET closes.

 

[binau]

Posted: 6/16/25 at 2:21pm

Some more thoughts on what it was like to hear Rachel's vocals for the first time:

The first moment it kind of clicked that something special was happening here for me was on the lines:

"Screw the middle classes!! I will never accept them!!! And they will never deny me anything again."

Rachel ferociously belts this with a very controlled strong vibrato in Patti's original keys, and unlike the OBC there is a distinct pause of a few seconds after "deny me again" before the next phrase. It's kind of like a "omg did that just really come out of her?" everyone shocked in stunned silence type moment. The quality of her voice makes it far less screechy than I have heard elsewhere including the OBC. 

Then, Rachel sings and dances 'Beunos Aires' in like a full pop production number style. But she has such star presence and talent that it doesn't feel like there is an actor there doing it 'in the style of', it feels like we literally have a superstar such as Ariana Grande or something performing the song. Rachel is so natural at home and born for the stage. It's like she is just metaphorically skating around the notes/dancing, and making it all look easy. And she goes for high notes at the end. 

For "A New Argentina" - which is a great moment in the production generally - very intense, a lot of red and electric guitar.......Rachel is incredible with the very high "He supports you, for he loves" (but because she has a bit of strength in her voice it doesn't sound so screechy), and then when she goes down to the low note "I've suffered the way that you DOOOOOOOOO" "and I've starved and I hated it TOOOOOO" the best description of the sound is it's like Betty Buckley belting. It's very unusual to hear a 25 sound like this, I think. And I just wasn't expecting the 'sweet girl' voice from West Side story to be able to do this. 

Everyone can see the full clip of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and judge for themselves. I do think it being performed outside the theatre where we are observing Eva manipulate the public (rather than us being part of the public and being swept up in her charisma) does slightly keep the emotion associated with the song at a distance, but I do love the dramatic effect of it. 

One moment that was particularly special though was actually the orchestra break after she sings every word is "trueee".....the orchestra was honestly SO loud. And the brass sounding instruments are like vibrating to the entire ear. I've never heard an orchestra so amplified in my life, including Sunset. It was absolutely deafening, maybe a little too loud but it was hard not to be moved by it especially knowing Andrew Lloyd Webber was just a few rows probably lapping it up too haha. 

For "Rainbow High" they have a small Nicole HOMEEEEEEE at last moment (not quite). I'mmmmmm THEIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR SAVIOR that's what they call me. 

I was reading some reddit reactions (god I need to stop myself) to the idea of Rachel winning the Tony for this role because obviously there is some early buzz, and of course someone had to say they don't like the idea a Hollywood type winning. All I'll say to that is - based on this performance Rachel is NOT a Hollywood type. She is a stage actress that would put most to shame. The production almost needs her more than she needs the production, I think - sure you might be able to find a theatre actress who can do the movements or sing the songs (hopefully as well, but likely not) - but to find the talent AND that 'x-factor' thing that makes someone a star, I don't know if there is anyone else right now in this moment who could do this. 

My only main fear is just the longevity - without much stage experience she might be giving too much and need to learn to dial it back, and she is doing 8 shows per week for the most part (there is an alternate but they are only scheduled for about 4 shows). I just don't know how someone can sustain this, or do two shows a day. 

In many ways I think Jamie Lloyd and the cast could stop developing the show now and just focus on sustaining it. It's not just a problem for the singing it's also the high energy dancing. Seems very easy for someone to slip and injure themselves. It is not easy work, they make it look easy because they are so talented. 

 

 

 

Updated On: 6/16/25 at 02:21 PM

[binau]

Posted: 6/16/25 at 3:06pm

Oh look we are being discussed at 'that other board'  

Updated On: 6/16/25 at 03:06 PM