King’s Theatre, Glasgow
Until: Saturday 11 June
Performance reviewed: Monday 6 June
Rating: * * * *
Yet another musical has arrived at the King’s Theatre, starting off a month jam-packed with short runs of what promise to be great productions.
Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice and directed by Bill Kenwright, Evita tells the true story of Argentinian first lady Eva Peron. Set in the 1940s and 50s the musical takes us from her “wild days” as a promiscuous wannabe actress to the dizzying heights of politics and ultimately her early demise from cervical cancer at the young age of 33.
Evita has toured in Scotland previously with Louise Dearman, currently starring as Glinda in the West End hit Wicked, as Eva. Many will also have seen the film version with Madonna in the lead role.
Needless to say I had high expectations for the heroine of this production and it is always hard not to compare the actor with those you’ve previously seen play the role.
Abigail Jaye acts the part well and when singing, although I felt her voice could have carried more authority at times, it showed light and shade in the touching moments when needed most.
The star of the show for me is Mark Powell as Che, the narrator/observer. Although not much is made of the character (we don’t really know who he is or why he’s there) he is on stage almost constantly and has great stamina and attitude.
This production also stars Earl Carpenter as Peron. I loved him in Les Miserables, yet felt he didn’t shine as brightly here, possibly because there are no rousing songs for him to sing.
The costumes and production numbers are colourful and plentiful, giving the Glasgow audience a taste of the glamorous side of fifties Buenos Aires.
With songs such as Another Suitcase in Another Hall, High Flying Adored, Oh What a Circus and the well known Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Evita is full of great numbers and includes some stirring choral singing by the ensemble.
The most emotional song, however, was You Must Love Me. Not in the original production, this song was written for the film version and thankfully has been added to more recent incarnations of the show.
Evita takes the audience on a circular rollercoaster of emotions, both starting and ending at the same point in time.
Powerful yet pitiful, Eva Peron experienced more in her short life than many others ever do and outwith the singing and dancing, Evita gives us just a little bit of insight into the life of this remarkable woman, dubbed “The Spiritual Chief of the Nation” in Argentina.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit: Evita at King’s Theatre, Glasgow.
