Evita / our review

EMOTIONAL fun Passionate

Sep 16th, 2017

Scarlet Fleetwood

Scarlet Fleetwood

Evita

Based on the True Story of Eva Peron, the wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Peron, Bill Kenwright's national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical Evita makes its return to the West End. Conveniently, the production also marks the 65th anniversary of Eva Peron's death, which was commemorated in Argentina this Summer. Evita takes us on the journey of how Eva Duarte went from poverty to the life of a national leader, showing her most climatic moments as well as her darkest. Evita has grabbed over 20 international awards, including a Tony Award for Best Musical!

Through a flashback of events we follow Eva's journey from the depths of poverty eventually becoming an actress and the wife of President Juan Peron. In Buenos Aires she begins a chain of relationships with powerful men before meeting Juan Peron at an event, Eva's power and magnetism conjuring a love-hate relationship with the Argentine people.

Leading the role of Evita is the magnificent Emma Hatton - playing Eva Peron is already known as being one of the hardest positions in musical production however Hatton seems to take it in her stride. Capturing her ambition and projecting it out to the audience you can feel the passion that Eva has for her fellow Argentinians. Hatton's voice is one to be reckoned with, showing her vocal skills in "Rainbow High" had to be winning scene which I believe to be a shame, as I was hoping that "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" would've been the winning number; Hatton was surely capable of giving it everything she had, and I'm not doubting she did - something just felt missing. 

Starring as Che was Gian Marco Schiaretti, Evita being his West End Debut and blimey he was incredible! Taking on the character of Che like a natural, you'd have thought it was his own personality. Hitting every number and holding even the highest of notes for an impeccable amount of time, the audience was in awe of him. He was definitely the star of the show in my eyes, sorry Hatton… you were his shadow. Narrating us throughout Eva's journey he portrayed the cockiness of Che, however at some points it did feel quite posey and intimidating - especially if you caught his eye - when I wanted passion!

A lady to definitely keep an eye out for is Sarah O'Connor who plays Juan Peron's Mistress. Her solo of "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" was absolutely flawless, gaining herself a standing ovation at the end which was hugely deserved!

My partner was the one to be the judge and, with this being his first theatrical production, I was eager to know what he thought! There were moments where the story got lost, and repetition of scores did become draining and had you begging for something new. That being said, he thoroughly enjoyed it and has been pulled into the magic of theatre, which I didn't think was possible for a man of his persona! Kudos to Evita. As for me, I believe my expectations were far too high and I feel like more could have been done with the material, the choreography, and on the set design (pillars and a staircase are as memorable as it gets). For someone who has many memories of watching Evita, and has a huge passion for the musical - I left feeling slightly deflated and let down. Although I would recommend it, I wouldn't rush to watch it again.

Review by Scarlet on 16th September 2017 at Phoenix Theatre
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View our show pages for more information about Evita, Phoenix Theatre.

Evita, Phoenix Theatre, London

Evita

Phoenix Theatre: Closed Oct 14, 2017

On paper, a musical about the wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron sounds a little strange. But then, who would have thought an obscure book of poems about cats would make a theatrical phenomenon? Thank...more info

Book TicketsBook tickets for Evita, Phoenix Theatre, London

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