Theatreguide.London
www.theatreguide.london
The Theatreguide.London Review
Evita
Dominion
Theatre
Autumn 2014
On face value this latest
outing for Evita can be recommended without hesitation… (a) it’s a timely
chance to reappraise/experience for the first time one of the finest
examples of the New Wave of musicals, yet to be bettered even by its
creators even four decades on. And (b) it’s a timely chance to venture
back to experience a large-scale show at one of the country’s finest
performance spaces, long monopolised by 12 years of We Will Rock You and
recently refurbished.
Looking a little closer, however, things do not appear so positive in this
tale of Eva’s rise to become the iconic spouse of Argentine dictator Juan
Peron. Don’t get me wrong, Bill Kenwright’s production is undeniably
slick, complete with huge cast and full-on band, and you won’t waste your
money.
But, if we are to be honest about it, directors Kenwright and Bob Tomson
have come up with a show that niggles throughout, bedevilled by a string
of minor imperfections that mount up as the show progresses and leave you
feeling underwhelmed by the curtain.
Much of the problem lies in the fact that Evita was a bitty musical to
start with. Despite the fact that it is sung through, Lloyd Webber’s score
is too stylistically diverse and never really connects up its sections,
while, on their own, the scenes are likewise hard to join up
narrative-wise, remaining vignettes despite Tim Rice’s drolly incisive
lyrics.
The single, brilliant device
that holds plot and music together is Che, the narrator who sustains not
only the story but also provides an emotional barometer for the action and
underpins the incisive comments on the perils of celebritydom.
Sadly this is mostly wasted here. Not only Che but almost all the other
protagonists are unintelligible in their delivery due to an uneven sound
mix on their headset mics, and then add to this a likewise uneven palette
of acting abilities and voices.
Sure Madalena Alberto’s Eva is all diva virtuosity yet she comes across as passionless, and her oddly offbeat-delivered Don’t Cry For Me Argentina woefully misses every ironic punchline.
Marti Pellow as Che is unable
to break out of his monotone warble and struggles with the material,
giving the distracting impression that he is singing out of his natural
register (note that in the original stage version David Essex, of a
similar pop pedigree and light voice, was still able to create one of the
most memorable musical stage roles around with apparent ease).
Save for the versatile Ben Forster, whose tango guru Magaldi storms the
house in every way, there is minimal stage presence or meaningful
movement, resulting in wooden performances all round, which is perfectly
acceptable – if this were a semi-staged performance.
And while the orchestration
admirably pumps up the Latino elements in Lloyd Webber’s score, the chorus
numbers miss the spirit and are more like outtakes from Seven Brides For
Seven Brothers.
As I say, there is still a lot here to compensate and so make this not a
lost venture, but given the experience of the cast and creative team, and
the fact that this production has already extensively toured, the audience
is advised to approach this Evita a little more proactively than would
usually be expected of a West End spectacular.
Nick Awde
|
Receive
alerts
every time we post a new review
|
Review - Evita - Dominion Theatre 2014