Who is your favourite EVITA? — Page 2

Klausner left before Patti did.

I don't know all the gory details, but after Patti won the Tony, I think she got enough of a leg to have Klausner removed, and Nancy Opel was hired.

Opel never actually took over as a full time Eva, instead they brought in Derin Alty (who I think took over LA and replaced Loni Ackerman on the tour) for some god foresaken reason. She wasn't very good from what I've heard. (Alty, that is, I like Ackerman very much).

The worst is Siobhan McCarthy. She was the second understudy in London...and those notes were *not* there. I pull that recording out whenever anyone says "I just heard the worst Eva ever" to prove them wrong.

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Madonna.
For me, she 'humanized' the role.
Lupone yelled all the time... couldn't listen to that soundtrack for years because of her yelling at me.

Madonna made the role a human being. Death bed scene..beautiful.
worth every single ounce of her Golden Globe award.

PATTI !!!!

I still dont know why they gave the film to madonna....maybe they were trying to make Eva into a real slut.

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taboo, that reminds me of when VH1 did "I Love the '90s" and they mentioned how some Argentines were up in arms about the casting of "whore Madonna" as their "Santa Evita," and one of the commentators quipped, "I think for a brief moment they forgot that Eva Perón WAS a whore."

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i know it was reginal not broadway but- Lisa Brescia

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In her new memoir, LuPone without mentioning names seems to think Teri Klausner had an "All About Eve" agenda to have Patti booted following the terrible reviews she received both in Los Angeles and when the show finally opened in New York.

A lot of people felt like Klausner was a lot stronger in the role. Its entirely possible that LuPone campaigned to have her replaced given how insecure she felt in performing that part.

The great EVITA who never-was was Judy Kaye who Hal Prince begged to open the L.A. production.

There used to be a fantastic Evita fansite that is sadly now defunct, but thankfully still mirrored, that had this tale:

"The unthinkable occurred at closing night in L.A. By the middle of Act I, Patti had stopped singing except when she absolutely had to. By the end of “A New Argentina”, Patti’s voice was gone. Backstage was in an uproar. Terri Klausner would have to go on, but her costumes and wigs had already been packed up for the trip to San Francisco. Terri went on in Act II, and gave the performance of her life that night, while Patti wept in her dressing room."

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I saw Terri Klausner as Eva in August 1980 at a Wednesday matinee. She was phenomenal. I was hoping some vids from her concert performances where she sings Buenos AIres and Don't Cry For Me... would turn up on YouTube, but so far, no.

I don't know if Klausner was booted but I doubt it. She left the show to join Sophisticated Ladies, which opened the following February on Bway. Perhaps she was told she would not get the role full time when Patti eventually left, or just wanted to start something new.

Siobhan McCarthy was not second understudy to Eva in London. SHe originated the role of Peron's Mistress, then left to do Mary Magdalene in the final West End company of JC Superstar. She returned as the fourth lead Evita in 1983. I believe the above poster is thinking of Michelle Breeze - who was second understudy in the original company and then went on to head the original New Zealand company, of which a recording was made. And yes, she was dreadful.

Finally, Derin Altay was the Eva alternate in the Los Angeles company when she was brought to Broadway to replace Patti in January 1981. Hal Prince wanted Loni Ackerman, but would not pay her a salary equal to Patti's. So she stayed where she was. She eventually joined the Bway company in April 1982, switching with Altay, who went back to the West Coast company, and when that shuttered, replaced Valerie Perri on the national tour.

BTW - Altay was a wonderful Eva.... her voice was a bit rough, but was definitely powerful. Also, understudy Susan Cella was a phenomenal Evita. She still works a lot in regional theatre.

There's no touching Patti, in my honest opinion. Visceral is the only word I can use to describe her take on the part. All the hardships she faced be damned, she harnessed the role, won the Tony, and finally got the accolades and respect that she worked so hard for.

It's interesting listening to the cast album now knowing that she was in the thick of her trouble getting a hold on the score when it was recorded. She sounds phenomenal anyway. And what's better is hearing/seeing bootlegs from the Broadway run and especially that Tony performance which show just how far she grew in the part. She just got better and better as the run went on. She'll always be THE Evita for me. :)

As for the others, I think that Elaine's voice wasn't mature enough for the part when she played it. For example, listen/watch her performance of "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" on the Royal Albert Hall Celebration DVD and then listen to her rendition of the song on the London cast album. It's like hearing two different people. She simply got better as she got older.

I adore Elena Roger and I am SO HAPPY that I'll get to see her play the role on Broadway. :) Paloma, too, is absolutely exquisite in the part.

However, honorable mention and a personal pet favorite Eva of mine is Reiko Nomura on the 1997 Japanese tour cast album. She is WONDERFUL and my favorite of the non-English-speaking Evas. You know, it's a real shame that there is not an English equivalent of this cast album because it truly is the most perfectly orchestrated, energetic, and complete recording of them all. I believe it's the longest-running recording of the show (aside from the movie soundtrack) and it includes both "The Lady's Got Potential" and "The Art of the Possible" as well as the COMPLETE "Lament" with the solo "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" horn outro before going into the "Eyes, Hair, Face, Image" part - similar to the original studio cast album (concept).

Patti. I also love Madonna as Eva in the movie.

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CLapYO'Hands: The 1976 London Cast (AKA the original concept album) featured the "Lament" in its entirety (2 verses). The original London cast recording also features a lengthy "Lament" that is split between Eva and Che. Elaine Paige sings the familiar first verse and then David Essex sings a second verse, part of which can be heard on the movie soundtrack, as well:

The choice was yours and no one else's
You can cry for a body in despair
Hang your head because she is no longer there
TO shine, to dazzle, to betray
Or else, or else you could be grateful
Once the flesh and the fantasy are cold
That her stars did not allow her to grow old
But I... I won't tell you what to say

And then Elaine finishes it with:

Oh my daughter, oh my son
Understand what I have done...

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What's this "new verse" of which you speak? I just listened to the 2006 London revival recording "Lament" and the second verse is the same verbatim as can be found in the original concept album (as I stated above):

The choice was mine and no one else's
I could have the millions at my feet
Give my life to (the) people I might never meet
Or else to children of my own
Remember I was very young then
Thought I needed the numbers on my side
Thought the more that loved me the more loved I'd be
But such things cannot be multiplied

Unless there's another verse to which you refer...

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