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Evita - could be surprisingly good for you
Evita is a big production and Theatre on the Bay is a small theatre. How would the grand theatrical scale of the adoring or mourning crowds, for example, be conveyed? Would we lose something of the power of this rock musical in the intimate setting of the theatre? These kinds of questions were obviously considered by Paul Warwick Griffin who directed the show. The way in which he dealt with the challenge was by putting the focus on the personal perspective of the life of Eva Peron. This, after all, was how Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the show 35 years ago. But clever use of projected images of crowds and excellent lighting created the big, theatrical backdrop to the story of Evita's life.
Evita is played by Angela Kilian, who did a great job of it. She got stronger and stronger as the show progressed and really looked the part, as well as singing the well-known numbers with passion and beauty. The number that really stood out for me was Another Suitcase in Another Hall, which was beautifully sung by Lynn Thompson. Kenneth Meyer, as Che, was a pleasure to listen to because his diction was so clear. Anton Luitingh pulled off the charming Magaldi and James Borthwick as Peron was the perfect foil to Eva in his almost wooden and tentative response to the events that she had no problem in manipulating to her advantage. The 14 men and women in the chorus were slick and talented in voice and movement, and well choreographed by David Gouldie.
My criticisms are mild - the volume was deafening, particularly in the beginning, and the revolving stage may have been used just a bit too much. I enjoyed this Evita. Knowing the music pretty well, and experiencing it through this production, brought it all to life for me. The story of ambitious, greedy, power-grabbing politicians is not such a new one, but seeing it in this way is a lot more entertaining than reading about it in the newspapers.
Evita runs at Theatre on the Bay till 8 January 2011, Mon to Fri at 8pm ยท Sat at 5pm and 8.30pm and Friday 31 December at 9pm. No performances on 16 and 25 December and 01 January.
