On Eva/
Evita:
There is a full A&E Biography special of Eva Peron posted on "the unmentionable site"(which surprisingly paints a story extrememly close to the Musical). The opinions of her as a historical figure are normally of 2 mindsets based on these facts:
Eva was a former mistress to many famous/influential men who climbed the social ladder to Juan Peron, lived decadently but also raised extreme amounts of money for the poor although her lack of book-keeping and means of collecting money (mandatory cut of workers' checks being the main source of income) drove the Peron regime into debt quietly. She was therefore hugely accepted by the poor and rejected by the rich who took advantage of every oppurtunity to show her that.
Her fans consist of those were helped through tough times due to her work, most notably with the Eva Peron Fund. She built many orphanages, housing projects and hospitals. She did live decadently, but by many accounts, it was to show the people that the ability to start where they are and end up in the upper class is possible.
Her detractors saw her as part of a facist regime (Peron, who in essense forced any opposing opinions out of the public's eye) and was a figurehead in influencing the people to further Peron's government by wrangling the poor and tempting them with promises of a better life.
As per the new London recording of the show, I've only heard Buenos Aires and am IN LOVE with the new ending. The choreography also seems supberb. I enjoy Elena's performance, regardless of a rough voice, due to the true raw talent and energy... and the accent doesn't hurt either.
Broadwayboy2631:
A few corrections to your story from what I've gathered:
Patti was not critically aclaimed in the production of
Sunset Boulevard in London due in part to her performance (being too young for the part) and to the material itself.
The show was completely re-worked for the LA and following Broadway run and had a much better reception than the London production ever had. Further controversey followed the LA production when Faye Dunaway was promised the replacement of Ms. Close but after initial vocal training and rehearsels, was fired and subsequently sued Sir Webber (as did Patti).
I also believe that
happened in the time before being fired when she was back in New York. If you listen to "Meadowlark" she speaks afterward about stealing costumes from every production she's in, then saying "I can't wait to get my hands on that Norma drag." I'm a little gray on this because I've also heard her say in interviews that she found out about not getting the Broadway part while still in London...
Updated On: 12/10/06 at 07:45 PM
