"She Seduced a Nation"- My Evita Review in Atlanta

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:43pm

So, last night I saw Evita at The Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Having never seen the show, I really wasn't sure what things would be like. I didn't care for the movie, so I never watched it all the way through.

Basically, I just wanted to say what a great job Bradley Dean did. He was absolutely brilliant. It is a very rare thing to find someone as animated as he is, but still manages from going too over the top. He pulls it off beautifully. Although it sometimes sounded like he was trying to sing like Mandy Patinkin, he graced every note of "High Flying Adored" but transformed into a completely different tone for songs like "The Money Kept Rolling In". Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he even growled. And I am quite a fan of the growling tenors! HIs singing abilities are up there, but his acting abillities go above and beyond. His stage presence is also remarkable. When he moves, it's with a purpose, and when he stands still, his feet are planted and he keeps his ground. His performance alone was worth the admission price.

I actually enjoyed the lady who played Eva. (I don't have my Playbill with me so I can't remember her name) She was definately a different choice for the leading lady. Overall, I really enjoyed her performance. At times, her singing had many of the tone qualities Sutton Foster's voice has. She was a great belter but her upper register was a bit weak sometimes. She also had this way of screaming "star quality" that just made me cringe. Not fun. Overall, however, she was fabulously stunning.

The ensemble is AMAZING and their numbers sounded absolutely fabulous. I can't tell you how thrilling it is to see a large cast the size of Evita sing their numbers. It just swells, and fills the whole theatre.

The set and costumes are also equally remarkable. The clothes were FABULOUS! The fabrics are bright, vibrant colors that just manage to swoosh with whoever was wearing them. There is a musical chairs scene done with rocking chairs that was just brilliant. I'm told it's one of the trademarks and is almost always used as a part of the show. I had never seen anything like it, and it was most definately one of the highlights of my evening.

My biggest regret of the evening, was not staying after the show to meet Bradley Dean. Maybe next time, though. I'm sure he will be back on Broadway very soon.

Great music, good show, and an exceptionaly talented cast. Go see it!

[insomniak]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:50pm

Thanks, Chrys. I might get to see this tour, and now I really want to.

[zoran912]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:51pm

We know you like those growling tenors! Raul. Adam. Come on. We know.

The woman playing Evita is Kathy Voytko. I read the review in the AJC this morning.

The clincher of the review: In a world of "Hairsprays" and "Spamalots," we need more "Evita."

I paraphrase from memory, seeing as the actual paper is not in front of me at the moment.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:54pm

thanks great review. i might see it in feb.

[LucilleAndLeoFrank]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:55pm

Kathy Voytko is still with the tour? I thought she left, but I guess not. I saw her and thought she was fabulous.

[sassypanz]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:03pm

A lot of the Evas shouted "star quality!!".

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:24pm

Thanks for the review.

[nycdncr]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:04am

I think the shouting of 'star quality' makes perfect sense. Eva was a social climbing, sleep around, star f**cker who used her sexuality to get where she ended up. From the age of 15 (where you first see Eva in Evita) she's already got the mindset to get out of Junin, Argentina (her hometown). She wants to be a star, and that's her mindset for the entire show. It fuels every choice she makes and every step she takes. It makes perfect sense.

[junglered]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:26am

I attended last night's performance of "Evita" in Atlanta and enjoyed it very much. As Chrys said, Bradley Dean was excellent as Che - sneering and sardonic -and in good voice. I thought Kathy Voytko played Eva very well for the most part. Some may say that Kathy is not the total powerhouse that one should be to play the part of Eva (Patti in her prime?)...but I think that would be a minor quibble. It was good to hear these well crafted songs from the Evita score again. As Zoran noted the quote from the Atlanta paper, "in today's world of Spamalots and Hairsprays, it's good that we have some Evitas around".
Updated On: 8/5/05 at 09:26 AM

[ActressInNH]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 11:20pm

Updated On: 8/14/05 at 11:20 PM

[ActressInNH]

Posted: 8/12/05 at 11:23pm

Updated On: 8/14/05 at 11:23 PM

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 12:02am

ahh, I saw it in December, LOVED it! What did you think of Kate Mannings redition of "Another seutcase and another hall" I med Bradlee, he was pretty nice to me in my full blown fanboyness.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 12:50am

Ah the Fox, so huge but so beautiful I love that place.
Glad you liked it Chrys. I'd love to see Evita as well, maybe someday!

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 3:56am

I love Evita and think it's a wonderful show, but I am very annoyed by that quote from the Atlanta paper mentioned : " in today's world of Spamalots and Hairsprays, it's good that we have some Evitas around". So what, these two shows represent what is worst in theater nowadays ? I haven't seen Spamalot, but I think Hairspray is one of the most wonderful musicals ever! If the reviewer wanted to mention some bad shows, I am sure he could find many other examples ! He compares two musical comedies with a musical biography and that is quite ignorant and unfair !

[ActressInNH]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 7:46am

Updated On: 8/14/05 at 07:46 AM

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 12:42am

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT THE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL???

I'm stunned. Really. It's going to be their loss. As I stated in my first post, Bradley Dean made the show so memorable. And without him, so much of the magic will be missing.

[ActressInNH]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 8:05am

Updated On: 8/14/05 at 08:05 AM

[KindnessofStrangers]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 5:48pm

I'm not the least bit surprised by this news. I saw it here in L.A. a few months ago and thought both Bradley and Kathy were TERRIBLE -- can't emphasize it enough. There were many such grumblings from audience members during intermission. Perhaps they've improved since then, but they were both in-over-their-heads at this stop on the tour. As I mentioned before, Bradley played Che as if he was a sidekick character in a Disney animated film and Kathy was devoid of any trace of "STAR QUALITY." Ugh. Except for the tour of Oklahoma!, Evita was the worst production I've seen this year.

[nycdncr]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 7:42pm

It's amazing to me how rumors get started. Bradley has not been let go from Evita. I'm in the cast, and Bradley is leaving for a couple months on his own accord. He'll be back in 6 weeks or so. He's been with the show since it opened, and is doing a remarkable job. He's amazing!!!! He has not been replaced by Troika. He will be back.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 8:07pm

I just saw this movie on FOX! Can't wait till Febuary.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 8:13pm

KindnessofStrangers,
I can't agree with you more. I seaw this fiasco at the Pantages a few months ago and both leads were dreadful. Well; at least the girl playing Evita was and maybe Bradley was trying to compensate. But what a peice of c**p!

Updated On: 8/14/05 at 08:13 PM

[nycdncr]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:08am

i stand corrected. rumors are true. bradley emailed me this evening. i'm stunned by the news.

[Derech2]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:25am

I felt exactly the same about Mr. Dean. He more than made the show for me. I thought the rest was less than impressive.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 3:55pm

*still bitter about this news*

I hope to see Bradley Dean in something else very soon.

[MojaniD]

Posted: 8/15/05 at 4:03pm

While they're replacing people, they should really think about replacing Kathy Voytko as well.