The Rep opens its 52nd season with Evita, a blockbuster of a show that takes full advantage of the extra time the summer gave to crank things up. The second major Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber show, it’s become something of a cult favorite, lacking the built-in audience for the earlier Jesus Christ Superstar or the easy appeal of Cats.
The subject is a very serious one, the life of Eva Duarte Peron, the young woman who went from a hard-scrabble world to the wife of the president of Argentina. Juan Peron was a dictator who, among other things, went about silencing his opponents, including shutting down newspapers. Eva apparently slept her way to the top and after she married the much-older Peron became a populist firebrand herself, appealing to the masses and assuring them that she believed in them and would help their plight. But she died at 33 of cervical cancer.
The fabulous set gives a taste of what’s to come, with an ornate gilt balcony that’s actually a stage-wide second level over casually placed stacks of chairs on either side of the primary stage. It’s the first signal about the conflict between the haves and the have-nots. It’s where we first meet Che, who’s a sort of narrator. Played by Pepe Nufrio (shown below), he gives the character a calm and truthful spin – some believe the character is based on Che Guevara, who was born in Argentina, but there is no evidence that the two historical figures ever met.
Michelle Aravena returns to St. Louis to give us Evita, after playing Mary Delgado Valli in the Muny’s Jersey Boys this summer. She’s splendid, giving us a strong but not shrewish Eva, driven and fully able to work as a team with the 24-years-older Peron as they assume control of the country, and the country’s bankroll. Sean McLaughlin’s Peron seems genuinely smitten with the young woman, smooth and charming without seeming predatory – although with Eva, it may have been a case of two strong people finding each other, at least in this version of the story. There’s a feeling of genuine chemistry in the relationship. The singer Augustin Magaldi who takes Eva to Buenos Aires from her little town in the country is Nicolas Davila, who smolders wonderfully.
Director Rob Ruggerio has put together a team that has given us an almost completely satisfying show. Not surprisingly, given that this is the land of the tango, the dancing, with choreography by Gustavo Zajac, is quite delicious, with credit to the tango consultant Mariana Parma. That aforementioned set was created and the film clips of the actual Evita assembled by Luke Cantarella. Costumes, at both ends of the economic scale, including the Dior-esque gowns for Aravena, come to us from Alejo Vietti. The lighting, subtle unless one begins to reflect on it, move our attention through the theater; it’s the work of John Lasiter.
The voices are great, from top to bottom, including five uncredited very young chorus members who do very well indeed. This is certainly among the greatest of Lloyd Webber’s scores. But the miking was problematic. This is a sung-through show, and I heard a number of complaints about being unable to understand the words. Sometimes the orchestral music overwhelmed them, sometimes things were just blurry. Matt Kraus, the sound designer, needs to do some fine tuning.
With that said, it’s an enjoyable evening, the sort of thing that will have lots of folks trying to repress the urge to sing along, even though it’s a long way from a musical comedy.
Evita
through September 30
Repertory Theatre St. Louis
Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts
130 Edgar Rd., Webster Groves
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