Evita (UK Tour)
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Reviewed on the 26th May 2018 by Freddie Lee
Evita is known for being one of the classic musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice since it was written in 1976 and still to this day, it does not disappoint anyone who sees it.
The show is set in 1940s Argentina where we meet Eva Duarte, a woman who wants to become an actress and as a result, soon moves to Buenos Aires. Eva begins dating a political figure, Juan Peron, and soon after gets married to him. The first half focuses on their rise to power and fame and as a result, Peron becomes President of Argentina and Eva subsequently becomes First Lady and a national figure loved by all. The second half shows her charity work and her popularity with the general public before the European 'Rainbow' tour and Eva's decline in health soon after before her death from cancer on the 26th July 1952.
Playing the woman herself is Madalena Alberto who captures your attention from the beginning to the end with the most immaculate and powerful voice. Her singing in Don't Cry For Me Argentina, arguably one of the most famous songs in musical theatre, was incredible and brought a tear to my eye as it was so sweet and sad. She manages to portray the tragic and loveable role extremely well and definitetly left a mark on me when I left the theatre. Her standout performance was touching and emotional and I loved it from beginning to end.
Che, is the omniscient narrator in the story and who I thought represented the Argentinian public, was played by Gian Marco Schiaretti. Che, acts as the narrator for the story and isn't included in the story itself but often interacts with the characters in songs like High Flying Adored. His voice was powerful and strong and at times often reminded me of the narrator in Blood Brothers. There is something I can't quite explain about his portrayal that was almost magical and that needs to be seen to be understood. His performance was captivating and very interesting to see the change in the character from the beginning to the end.
Jeremy Secomb was Juan Peron, the man who became President of Argentina. His performance was slightly threatening at times and compassionate during the final few scenes of the performance. I could see why he was chosen to play Peron as for me, he played the character very well. His character and performance was emotionally raw and extremely interesting.
Special mentions in the show go to the company and ensemble during the bigger pieces as it was nice to see a bigger show such as Evita, give the ensemble members recognition. The music in the show is brilliant. Possibly the best I have heard mainly because it is so classic and fitting to the story even though I am not the biggest fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber himself. The harmonies in the show between the ensemble and principal roles was phenomenal and it gave me chills especially in the bigger songs in the second half. Choreography by Bill Deamer was simple but again effective in numbers such as A New Argentina. The set is minimalistic but works and is able to create many different layers to the show. For me, all of these elements combined and I was captivated the moment the show started and it ended in an incredibly moving performance.
Overall, Evita is a touching and inspirational show with music that is simply unbelievable. Although the show was maybe not for me, the standout performance from Madalena Alberto is a good enough reason to go and see this show. You will not be disappointed as it is a perfect and classic night out at the theatre.
Evita is currently visiting various locations on its UK Tour until the end of June 2018.
More information about the show can be found here.
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