"Evita" at Lyric Arts

Continuing with their season of showcasing women's stories, Lyric Arts presents the musical Evita, one of the most popular woman's story in music-theater. There hasn't been a local production of it in several years, so the time feels ripe to revisit this story. It's a big show for Lyric Arts to tackle, a sung-through musical with a large cast and complicated score, but they've proven that they're up to the task (this season began with a regional premiere of a new musical, and next season will too). They've enlisted a strong cast, which is notably one of the most diverse casts I've ever seen at the Anoka theater, plus a great design team. The result is a thrilling production of this 1980 multiple Tony-winning classic.

"Evita" at the Orpheum Theatre

My third opening night on Hennepin Avenue (aka the Broadway of Minneapolis) in just over a week was for the touring production of the recent Broadway revival of Evita. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this musical about the first lady of Argentina Eva Perón won seven Tony Awards in 1980. It's a compelling story about a woman from a poor family who rose to become one of the most powerful and beloved women in Argentina, with a beautiful and recognizable score ("Don't Cry for Me Argentina," "You Must Love Me"), and this is a lavish production with a great cast. I saw a nearly perfect production by Theater Latte Da a few years ago so I wasn't sure I wanted or needed to see it again. But I love the score (I have the soundtrack from the 1996 movie starring Madonna), so I enjoyed seeing it brought to life by a large and talented cast and orchestra.

In the entirely sung-through musical, Eva's story is told by a narrator known as Che. We follow Eva as she escapes a life of poverty in a small village to run away to Buenos Aires with a musician. There she makes a career as a singer and actress, and eventually meets the politician Juan Perón. She hitches her wagon to his star, and after he becomes president, together they become a powerful force and the celebrity couple of the day. Her legacy is somewhat complicated, as politics mixed with charity and wealth. After Eva went on a PR tour through Europe, dubbed "The Rainbow Tour," she fell ill and died at the age of 33, with a lavish and well-attended funeral. The musical brings us full circle, beginning with a scene from her funeral, and then flashing back to tell her life story, ending at the funeral again. Throughout the highs and lows, Che is there to offer commentary on the issues that her story brings up - fame, politics, celebrity worship, class.

Caroline Bowman, Josh Young, Sean MacLaughlin,
and the cast of Evita

The show may be called Evita, but the star of this show is Josh Young as Che. He gives a completely engaging performance and displays incredible vocal range, from a lovely falsetto to a rich warm tone in the lower register, plus a rocker wail when called for. Che is onstage for almost the entire show, observing and commenting on Eva's life, and confronting her in one captivating waltz. I found myself constantly seeking him out to watch his reactions, and when he wasn't on stage, his absence could be felt. Caroline Bowman is a strong Eva, making a convincing transformation from an ambitious young girl to a well-respected woman with failing health. As Juan, Sean MacLaughlin is smooth and polished. The large ensemble is fantastic; Krystina Alabado is a standout with a beautiful performance of the poignant "Another Suitcase in Another Hall."

The sets and costumes in this Broadway tour are of course impressive, with lovely period costumes and a relatively simple set with one impressive piece - the balcony. The show also features nice use of what I'm assuming is actual video of the time.

If you can only see one of the three musicals currently playing on Hennepin stages, it should be Theater Latte Da's Cabaret at the Pantages Theatre - a stunning display of local talent. After Cabaret, the choice between Minneapolis Musical Theatre's Five Course Love at New Century and the touring production of Evita at the Orpheum depends on what you're looking for - a light and fun show in an intimate space with a small local cast (Five Course Love) or a lavish Broadway production (Evita, playing through this weekend only).

"Evita" by Theater Latte Da at the Ordway McKnight Theater

As is quite obvious from reading this blog, I attend a lot of theater. Most of it is by myself, but once a year I get a group of friends together for something we like to call "Girls' Night Out at the Theater." For some of my friends, this is their once a year trip to the theater, so I take my responsibility seriously and try to choose a good show, preferably by a local theater. This is the second year in a row I've chosen a Theater Latte Da production. Last year we saw The Full Monty, which was was a huge success. Everyone loved it (which might have had something to do with the naked men ;), and it was one of my favorites of last year. So I was confident in choosing Latte Da's Evita this year, knowing they'd do a great job again, and I wasn't wrong!

As everyone probably knows, Evita is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about Eva Peron, the Princess Diana of Argentina. It chronicles her rise from a poor family in a small town, to actress in Buenes Aires, to wife of the president and "spiritual leader of the nation." I've never seen the stage show but I have seen the movie and have the soundtrack, so I was very familiar with the music (unlike the previous night's show, Rock of Ages). But what I had forgotten is that there's very little spoken dialogue; it's pretty much two and a half hours of singing.

This was a pretty large production for Latte Da; they usually do more intimate shows with smaller casts. It was beautifully directed by Artistic Director Peter Rothstein. There was a lot going on - costume changes, set changes, people constantly moving in and out. All done to music, and all accomplished very smoothly. The four-person band led by Musical Director Denise Prosek was off-stage, but sounded beautiful. The choreography was amazing and made me want to take tango lessons!

Like all Latte Da shows I've seen, this show was perfectly cast. I don't know how they do it, but they seem to always find the perfect actor in the Twin Cities (or elsewhere) to play each role. The strong ensemble includes Erin Capello and Kahlil Queen, whom I saw in Latte Da's concert at Lake Harriet this summer. The title role is played by Zoe Pappas who has worked frequently with Latte Da, the Chanhassen, the Ordway, and other local theaters. She has an amazing voice (which is good because she pretty much sings for two and a half hours straight), and also beautifully embodies Eva's passion, drive, and ultimate physical collapse. Kevin Leines is a suave, elegant Juan Peron (and the only man in the cast who's taller than Zoe!). The character of Che, who functions as a narrator, is played by Jared Oxborough. I first saw Jared in Footloose at the Chanhassen earlier this year (in which he co-starred with Zoe), and was immediately struck by his voice and presence, and wanted to see more of him. I also saw him perform a song from Urinetown (a smart, funny musical that's at the top of my wish list for Theater Latte Da) at a cabaret performance called Where's My Tony? Che is a perfect role for him; he really carries the show and drives the narrative. Eva and Che are the main characters and are both onstage for most of the night, but they rarely interact. Che is mostly observing and commenting to the audience, rather than taking part in the action. But they do have one waltz together, which really illustrates their opposing viewpoints in the way they dance and sing together. Was Evita a selfless hero to her people? Or a ruthless politician? My guess is a little of both.

Evita is the first production in Latte Da's four-show season. Their annual Christmas concert with vocal ensemble Cantus, All is Calm, will be followed by a new play with music, Song of Extinction, at the Guthrie Studio early next year. Their final show is Steerage Song at the Fitzgerald Theater next summer, a collaboration with my favorite pianist Dan Choinard (OK I don't know many pianists, but he's very talented and entertaining!). If you're looking for a fun night at the theater with great music and great performances, you really can't go wrong with any of these shows.