Leaving Evita at intermission- Page 7

[newintown]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 3:41pm

"People are being very ignorant and rude towards the actors and musicians in this production by walking out if they think it's not like 1979 all over again."

But it's OK to walk out if (like me) you think it's a piece of crap on its own merits.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 3:47pm

For every person who walks out of a Broadway show at intermission, they kill one of Bernadette Peters's puppies.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 3:49pm

I saw this with a group of friends who did not see the original production (I was the only one who did). None of them liked the Ricky/Elena version. A few days later, I showed them some of the youtube videos of Patti and Valerie Perri (National Tour) ... and they unanimously said "that's the production I would have liked to have seen." There was power, conflict, passion in that 1979 production (not to mention talent) that is sorely lacking in the revival.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 3:49pm

I think the "ignorant and rude" comment is a bit much, here. The OP didn't get up in the middle of Act I, throw his Playbill at Roger, and storm out. It's everyone's choice to leave at the appropriate time, regardless of how we feel about that particular show. I've left plenty of regional shows here in Seattle at Intermission, and most always because it reached an unbearable height (or low, actually). It's anyone's right to leave at an appropriate time, and I highly doubt that seasoned Broadway performers are going to have a bad Act II because a few seats are empty (I'm sure they've all been in flops where more than a few were empty for the 2nd interval).

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 3:52pm

Is Elena really that bad? I talked to a friend that was at Evita last night and saw someone walk out in a rage at intermission because she "hated the person playing Evita". I have tickets to see Elena in August and now I am getting worried! Is it normal for people to walk out in shows? Or does it just seem to be happening a lot with Evita??

Ms Roger seems to be polarising in her reception on Broadway. Some love her, some really don't like her at all. It seems she elicits quite a lot of dislike on this particular board, less so on others. All I can say is that I think she's phenomenal and, even though her reception in New York has not been what the producers would have hoped for, she was hugely acclaimed in London and for the most part liked by the audiences there, myself included. I don't know why this has translated into the same sort of acclaim on Broadway; I guess different audiences expect and demand different things. The complaints about her accent though I find incomprehensible, though. Try out the recording of her and see what you think, that might be the best indicator.

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 3:53pm

Yeah, I went to Evita during previews and people around me were VERY upset that we had the alternate... they were saying, "I came to see the star... she's the one who's gonna win the Tony" etc. and were determined to dislike Christina's performance (and they did)! They thought it was handled sneakily because there were no announcements that we had the understudy (even though I knew the alternate schedule, most seemed not to).

[mjroberts972]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 4:01pm

I saw Evita last Sunday with both the Alternate and Daniel Torress in for Che. And I saw none of the problems everyone is complaining about so if anyone gets the chance to see either of them it is definitely worth it. They were both amazing.

[Paris At 21]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 4:32pm

I did love the original LuPone/Patinkin/Gunton show and have not seen this one. But the snippets I saw on The Tony Awards horrified me. Elena was hard to understand, and Ricky Martin failed utterly to make his dialogue/lyrics snap. I have seen many national tours that were wonderful, but this looked like a bad high school production to me.

Updated On: 7/12/12 at 04:32 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 4:36pm

Well, if this had been a HIGH SCHOOL production, I think it would be considered pretty damned good.

[PapaGe]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 4:44pm

There is nothing ignorant or rude about leaving a show at intermission. Some people here seem to think that buying a ticket to a show somehow creates a duty to stay and watch the entire show, which is an attitude I don't understand. Anyone has the right to leave a show at intermission (or even at any other time as long as they don't interfere with others' enjoyment of the show). We as audience members do not owe a duty to the performers/directors/technicians/producers--they owe a duty to us, and if we feel that they have failed in that duty, then leaving mid-way through the show is a perfectly viable option.*

I've never walked out of a Broadway show, but I have left a couple of touring shows at intermission. There are a few other shows I wish I'd left at intermission. This production of Evita was a close call for me--I stayed because I wanted to see how they incorporated "You Must Love Me" into the show and because I wanted to hear Michael Cerveris sing "She is a Diamond." I found Elena Roger painful to listen to.

*The rule is probably different when it comes to comp tickets.

[Citygirl.grace]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 4:56pm

This is all good to know. It will be interesting to see. I'm sure I will enjoy it! Haha!

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 5:27pm

Elena is back in Buenos Aires filming a movie so you'll be seeing Christina until July 20th.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 7:31pm

The "accent" that Elena sings with is very similar to how Antonio Banderas sounds in the movie version, IMHO.

[gabbym]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 7:46pm

Although I have never lft a show at intermission, I do agree that this production of "Evita" was difficult to sit through. Having seen the original production directed by Harold Prince and starring Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, I felt sorry for all those who were deprived of that theatre experience and had to settle for this tepid, mediocre production of what, is really a Broadway classic if done as the original.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 7:50pm

In retrospect, Elena did do a good job with "You Must Love Me". The voice she used was appropriate with the song. It came out as tender and heartbreaking. Tho I didn't really care overall with Elena's voice, she did have some good moments. The OP should know by now that some people here, at times, will take it as a personal affront if someone has a particular opinion/approach that is different from theirs. Also, some people tend to overanalyze from time to time. I'm hoping to see "Evita" again, maybe in December (with Christina and hopefully Max von Essen). from Roman in Austin, Texas

[Broadway Baby8]

Posted: 7/12/12 at 8:35pm

In all my years of theater going, I've only walked out at intermission twice. First time was in London (was living and working there) and left ALW's Woman in White. Was not enjoying it at all, it was during the week and I was exhausted. Was practical and left to go home to sleep. The other time was a few years ago in NYC, a friend and I walked out on Lend Me a Tenor. The humor was not our kind of humor. We went down the street and spend the rest of the night at Don't Tell Mamma's. I don't regret either walkout. Life's too short...