Review: Evita Singapore
'Salve Regina mater misericordiae' is one of the earliest lyrics I memorized (together with Lisa Loeb's "Stay" ) because I was mesmerized by the Latin chant in David Essex's "Oh What a Circus" video when we first saw the tape of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Premiere Collection. Evita came to me like a lightning bolt, I was completely struck by this woman who rose to power, worshipped by the masses and died inexplicably (I was very young and did not know about the cancer).
The rest of the songs came easy like a sponge, though I won't understand the meaning of "Peron's Latest Flame" until in the later years when I finally saw the 1996 movie and Evita fever (followed by Madonna fever) caught on.
To see the musical was already bound to be a dream come true. But certainly some credit must be given to Emma Kingston whose glorious and dazzling Eva heated up the stage that it was a pain to watch her fiery portrayal all burn out in the second act. The musical's best known songs "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "You Must Love Me" are actually among my least favorites because...hilariously, I didn't get them. That was until Emma's renditions with only her singing doing the talking. No scene cuts to distract. Equally delightful is watching her act against a strong cast, Magaldi (Anton Luitingh) Juan (Robert Finlayson), the mistress (Isabella Jane) and Che (Jonathan Roxmouth).
I had the pleasure of seeing Jonathan three times on stage, previous to his take as Che Guevara and he delivered no less than an exceptionally brilliant, nuanced performance. Unlike the Phantom where he lurked and hid in the shadows, he is omnipresent in Evita as the jaded narrator, snarky commentator and entertaining participant-slash-troll throughout the tumultuous historic events portrayed. Trust Jonathan to go above and beyond his singing and acting duties and portray Che with a cynicism that transcends his time, giving the musical that premiered in the 1970s, a very contemporary relevance. He was very "woke" as millenials might put it, and his criticisms of the government and the military seem to be with a hyperawareness of the 21st century present, which makes his 4th walling shrewdly efficient!
Many of the best performances would not have their impact if not for a powerful and cohesive ensemble, notable acts are the the frenzied choreography of "Buenos Aires", alternating cadences of "Peron's Latest Flame", the rousing chorus of "A New Argentina" , the rocking musical chairs of "Art of the Possible", the electrifying tango of "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You" done by some of South Africa's consistently excellent performers (already the third show I've seen with them).
I loved that the show made do with what they had, the lighting (never underestimate), propaganda materials, a few beds and the "balcony". Their most special effects, besides Eva's costume change with "Good Night and Thank you", was a screen projector that displayed historic footages snd which really lent for authenticity. I love that the "Rainbow Tour" was similar to the movie except with the use of actual scenes from Eva Peron's European tour, which is the best way to do it IMHO.
All-in-all, the production made my heart full and I'd so love to see it again someday. A gem of a show and absolutely not to be missed. Taiwan, HK and Japan are in for a hell of a treat.
