Maddona to star in West End Evita?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 8:17am

as per IMBD.com:

London theatre bosses are touting Madonna to reprise her film role of Argentina's first lady Eva Peron in a new production of Evita. The Material Girl fought off a host of Hollywood actresses to play the glamorous wife of corrupt Argentine president Juan Peron in the 1996 film. Previous plans to resurrect the musical in the British capital collapsed in 2003 when its authors Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber decided the city was not in the mood for serious musicals. However, now the same creative team, comprising of director Michael Grandage, choreographer Rob Ashford and designer Christopher Oram, are in discussions to launch Evita in the West End next year, and hope Madonna will step into Peron's expensive shoes.

[Forester]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 8:31am

Does this mean they're going to transpose the score to fit her needs? if I remember correctly, she couldn't hit the high notes.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 8:35am

Yes, much like Gewn Verdon, who after every opening night, transposed or/and cut everything to fit her less than acceptable vocal means!!

Honey, even Barbra transposed on the last tour!

If this comes to Broadway - Broadway will become Broadway again!

[pab]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 9:24am

Oy! The movie was one thing but she does not have what it takes to perform this role on stage. Has anyone ever seen her on stage? Does anyone remember "Speed The Plow"? I guess that you can do wonders with good microphones these days but she does not have the power to do what was originally written in the score so, if by some chance any of this is true, there will have to be a lot of adjustments made to the music.

[poodleboy]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 9:30am

She will prerecord it in the studio and just fake it on stage.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 9:46am

Updated On: 10/27/05 at 09:46 AM

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:04am

"She will prerecord it in the studio and just fake it on stage."

Why not, they do it with "Phantom of the Opera" all the time. :o)

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:05am

That's for staging purposes, not because of their voices.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:06am

Updated On: 10/27/05 at 10:06 AM

[Elphie]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:55am

The Evita film is one of my guilty pleasures. I dont hate it like most theatre fans. I actually enjoyed it more than when I saw it on the stage. I think Madonna did a decent job. They had to cast someone famous in it and I think she did Eva justice.
But I'm not so sure about putting Madonna on stage....
That could get ugly.

[Craig]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:05am

Will Idina get $300 a ticket?

She already has, several times over. Even higher.

As for "Broadway will become Broadway again" - that doesn't even dignify a true response.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:15am

Updated On: 10/27/05 at 11:15 AM

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:20am

I like the Evita movie, but there are moments that I just wish were better, like when Evita sings "Screw the middle classes, I will never accept them, my fathers other family were middle class, and we were kept out of sight, hidden from view at his funeral"

Although the accompanying music is moody, the way Madonna does that part in particular just isn't very wrenching or affecting. It's pretty much just flat. Considering it was one of the higher parts she had to sing maybe it was just hard for her to get that emotion in while at the same time trying to sing well.

Updated On: 8/26/05 at 11:20 AM

[Craig]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:23am

VA.

I didn't compare her to anyone, you did (so your insanity comment is just that)

Concerts vs Broadway are apples and oranges. I'm not saying Madonna wouldn't sell tickets - but her presence on Broadway before didn't do a lick.

There's also a difference between a limited 7 concert engagement and an open run of a show. If Madonna appeared in a Broadway show for only 7 days, they'd of course sell out no problem. Spread that audience over an open run and you really don't know. No one does.

If Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick only did a 7 day run of The Odd Couple - I would just about guarantee it would not only sell out - but they could charge a kings ransom.

Finally, because this is the last time I'm going to engage in this ludicrous "discussion". A) you have to compare to her a broadway performer if that's where she plans on performing. B) She "ain't" no Broadway performer - there are thousands far more talented singing, acting and dancing. She might be a damn good singer and you might think she's the berries but not even you can raise her above some of the amazing talent we have that are true triple threats on the broadway stages of today.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:36am

Updated On: 10/27/05 at 11:36 AM

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:41am

I think what people are missing in comparing 'Evita' to 'Speed the Plow' is that 'Evita' plays more into peoples' notions of What Madonna Does. It's a singing/dancing/acting role whereas 'Speed' didn't play into peoples' notions of Madonna especially well. That's fine from her perspective as someone who wanted to show her range but I think to say Madonna wouldn't sell a big musical, especially one that's already a tried and true property, because she may not have sold a Mamet play is not understanding how 'names' can be used to sell tickets. Madonna in a big musical would be huge money because that's what people associate Madonna with: music and dancing. Whether or not she'd be *good* isn't relevant to whether or not people would line up to see her in that sort of environment.

[Tesse]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:41am

Amen, Craig. Amen.

(And my Eva avatar agrees, too!)

Updated On: 8/26/05 at 11:41 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:44am

The Mamet play sold out EVERY SEAT in one day - check!

[sipos]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:48am

JohnPopa, I agree with that thought. When the public figured out she wasn't doing her thing (pop dancing, singing), the riotous, exploding "sheer screaming" crowds left.

[Craig]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:49am

Voiceanth.

Whether or not I was in NY is irrelevent to the argument. But to answer - yes, I lived in NY in 1988. I didn't move away from NY until 1993.

Impossible to get tickets to? I don't think so. The theater has well over 1100 seats (9376 seats per week) and never sold more than 8535 on its highest week.

The crowds outside the theater for someone like Madonna are sure to be deafening and large in #. And I guarantee you - most weren't coming from the show. As demonstrated when Hugh Jackman was in town for a year - hundreds would be around that stage door and many of those weren't even people that saw the show.

I never argued she wouldn't sell tickets. Just that her coming to Broadway hardly means "broadway will be broadway again"

Keep dancing around in your little Madonna circle though...

Updated On: 8/26/05 at 11:49 AM

[JohnnyJune]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:54am

A) Madonna doesn't lipsync.... B)Speed the plow was almost 20 years ago.... C) give someone a chance to prove themselves, You know people do change in 20 years. SHe may have gotten better who knows. I found her last film swept away to be very good even if critics bashed it because of who she is and not her acting abilities

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:56am

Updated On: 10/27/05 at 11:56 AM

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:58am

What Broadway needs is $$$, plain and simple. I know Box Office is up, but figures are still very poor.

Madonna today (regardless of what happened during Speed the Plow) would sell out a long run. No, she's not going to do an open-ended run. No star is going to sign on for that. But she would pack them in, especially with a vehicle like Evita.

As for all the talent on B'way, well yes, there are those who are talented, but FAR more onstage who have NO business being up there. It's sad and maddening at times, actually.

There is very little star power right now on Broadway. Christina Applegate? PLEASE. Kelly Bundy ain't doing it for me.

Hugh Jackman brought it, and so would Madonna, plain and simple.

[Craig]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:09pm

VA

I'm not off - those facts are via the Theater League.

I wasn't comparing her to Jackman. I was illustrating that people horde around theaters where they know major celebs are. You're barking up the wrong tree and I'm quite finished with this discussion.

Again, I never said Madonna wasn't talented nor would she fail to break houses. My issue was Voiceanth being condescending towards Broadway and other talented performers.

No one show or one person is the "savior" of Broadway.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:11pm

True - ain't nobody gonna save this turkey!