#1
Posted: 6/2/06 at 7:33pm
Just got back from the 1st preview of this wonderful revival of Evita. I haven't seen the show live before, so I was very excited about this evening.
Firstly, the cast - Philip Quast was excellent (as ever) as Peron, though I felt the role had been cut down a bit (though I only know the role as it is in the film). Even so, his performance was strong - you could tell that Peron felt second best to Eva.
Matt Rawle as Che was alright - I wasn't particularly keen on his singing voice (some vowel sounds were a bit strange I thought), but his acting made up for it, and that is only a personal opinion - most people in the audience loved him, and he got a standing ovation.
Gary Milner as Magaldi sang magnificently, and made the most of his number, as did Lorna Want as Peron's Mistress. She sings, arguably, the most famous song from the show, and Miss Want certainly did the number justice.
The ensemble was very strong, with some great singing and exciting dancing - I thought that they would have been the star of the show had it not been for one remarkable performance...
Elena Roger as Eva Peron was sensational! The girl can sing, act and boy, can she dance. I was a bit skeptical about her, having seen her perform 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' on a TV show and being very underwhelmed. I felt that she really understood her character, and portrayed the role magnificently. As soon as she finished 'Buenos Aires' (having been dancing enthusiastically and singing the hell out of the song) I knew she was the perfect Eva. She brought tears to my eyes in 'You Must Love Me'. She's much sexier than Madonna was in the film, moving seductively in all of her dance sequences, and she takes control of the stage each time she enters. Her entrance in 'Don' Cry For Me Argentina' (in a dress very similar to that worn by Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone) was a very exciting moment. She really was incredible.
The choreography was very lively, and was richly inspired by Latino/South American dancing, and I thought it was great - it brought a lot of life to a show that could just drag on, imo.
The set is beautiful, reminding me slightly of the set for 'Light In The Piazza', with two moving buildings that create a central square on the stage, and the facade of the Casa Rosada rests at the back of the stage. It's a really great set.
The new orchestrations have been almost entirely re-worked, and they're much more South American, which really updates the sound of the score. And the orchestration for 'You Must Love Me' is different from the film, and much more romantic and sentimental - that song was one of my favourite moments of the show.
The only part of the show I didn't enjoy was the 'Montage' which takes place before Lament. Eva was lying in her hospital bed, and suddenly people spun the bed around, and we were into a montage of Eva's life - I just felt it was a bit naff.
For a first preview, the show ran very smoothly, and I would say is almost ready to be seen by the critics. A few things need to be tightened, and I'd rework the spinning bed in Montage, but apart from that, it was a pretty complete, tight show. I really hope it does well - judging by the audience's reaction to the show (especially to the leading lady) tonight, it surely will.
Mary P x
Firstly, the cast - Philip Quast was excellent (as ever) as Peron, though I felt the role had been cut down a bit (though I only know the role as it is in the film). Even so, his performance was strong - you could tell that Peron felt second best to Eva.
Matt Rawle as Che was alright - I wasn't particularly keen on his singing voice (some vowel sounds were a bit strange I thought), but his acting made up for it, and that is only a personal opinion - most people in the audience loved him, and he got a standing ovation.
Gary Milner as Magaldi sang magnificently, and made the most of his number, as did Lorna Want as Peron's Mistress. She sings, arguably, the most famous song from the show, and Miss Want certainly did the number justice.
The ensemble was very strong, with some great singing and exciting dancing - I thought that they would have been the star of the show had it not been for one remarkable performance...
Elena Roger as Eva Peron was sensational! The girl can sing, act and boy, can she dance. I was a bit skeptical about her, having seen her perform 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' on a TV show and being very underwhelmed. I felt that she really understood her character, and portrayed the role magnificently. As soon as she finished 'Buenos Aires' (having been dancing enthusiastically and singing the hell out of the song) I knew she was the perfect Eva. She brought tears to my eyes in 'You Must Love Me'. She's much sexier than Madonna was in the film, moving seductively in all of her dance sequences, and she takes control of the stage each time she enters. Her entrance in 'Don' Cry For Me Argentina' (in a dress very similar to that worn by Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone) was a very exciting moment. She really was incredible.
The choreography was very lively, and was richly inspired by Latino/South American dancing, and I thought it was great - it brought a lot of life to a show that could just drag on, imo.
The set is beautiful, reminding me slightly of the set for 'Light In The Piazza', with two moving buildings that create a central square on the stage, and the facade of the Casa Rosada rests at the back of the stage. It's a really great set.
The new orchestrations have been almost entirely re-worked, and they're much more South American, which really updates the sound of the score. And the orchestration for 'You Must Love Me' is different from the film, and much more romantic and sentimental - that song was one of my favourite moments of the show.
The only part of the show I didn't enjoy was the 'Montage' which takes place before Lament. Eva was lying in her hospital bed, and suddenly people spun the bed around, and we were into a montage of Eva's life - I just felt it was a bit naff.
For a first preview, the show ran very smoothly, and I would say is almost ready to be seen by the critics. A few things need to be tightened, and I'd rework the spinning bed in Montage, but apart from that, it was a pretty complete, tight show. I really hope it does well - judging by the audience's reaction to the show (especially to the leading lady) tonight, it surely will.
Mary P x
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