Evita | Live Show Review

Actress, philanthropist and politician Eva Perón passed away in 1952, but decades later she remains a divisive figure in Argentina. In the 1970s, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice cemented her presence in worldwide popular culture with Evita – first a rock-opera concept album, then an Olivier- and Tony-winning musical, and later, a movie. Evita follows Perón from an ambitious teenager to the glamorous First Lady of Argentina, with an irresistible score that has given us some of our genre’s most enduring songs.

The latest in a string of Evita revivals comes from Leicester’s Curve, where the theatre’s artistic director Nikolai Foster, who in previous years has helmed critically acclaimed productions of A Chorus Line and The Wizard of Oz, presents a modernised, stripped-back version of the show.

With its minimal set, live camera work projected onto a giant screen and an ensemble clad in black, it’s impossible not to draw comparisons between this production and Jamie Lloyd’s current West End hit version of Sunset Boulevard. But what works for one Lloyd Webber revival doesn’t necessarily work for all.

In Evita, the camera work, intended to paint Perón as the first social influencer, is distracting and sometimes clumsy, leaving the audience unsure where to look. This problem is compounded by characters occasionally entering through the aisles and beginning to sing while still hidden from some sections of the seating.

Michael Taylor’s monochrome, industrial set design is undeniably sleek and stylish, with a small rising platform, a moving staircase and a metal gantry, but the limited scenery leaves the Curve’s expansive stage feeling a little empty. There’s nothing to signify that we are in Argentina; even the contemporary choreography from Adam Murray shows little Latin influence, though it’s full of vigour. The lack of location and Argentine culture feels strange alongside Rice’s very specific historical lyrics.

Evita is a show which relies heavily on the magnetism of its leading lady. Martha Kirby’s Eva is steely and composed, beautiful and polished, but Kirby rarely lets us see beyond the practised face our heroine presents to her adoring crowds, and as such it’s difficult to connect with the character. Kirby tackles the notoriously difficult vocals with ease, though, and controls the stage in both slow songs and energetic, dance-heavy numbers like ‘Buenos Aires’. Her restrained, delicate version of ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ soars and dips beautifully.

Our everyman narrator Che is played by the likeable Tyrone Huntley, whose warm, velvety voice is well suited to ballads like ‘High Flying, Adored’. However, he eschews the usual angry, sardonic characterisation for a more amenable Che who mostly seems amused by the events around him, meaning that the themes of corruption, the wealth gap and politicians reneging on promises feel less well developed than they could. Those themes only really come to the forefront during ‘And the Money Kept Rolling In’ when Che spins a giant game-show wheel – the production’s one colourful prop – that brings to mind the ITV show This Morning’s controversial Spin to Win energy-bills prize wheel of 2022.

The supporting cast are strong, with Gary Milner bringing gravitas to the role of Juan Perón and showing genuine, touching affection for his wife in Act Two. Chumisa Dornford-May makes the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time; as Juan’s mistress she has only one scene, but her heartfelt ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’ is one of the show’s highlights.

There’s little time to applaud such performances though; the sung-through show progresses at a breathless pace, and viewers unfamiliar with the plot may well struggle to follow the events. It’s easy to get swept along by the energy and dazzled by the spotlights of Joshie Harriette’s powerful lighting design, but while the production is visually arresting, it is not as coherent nor as thought-provoking as it could be.

Still, it’s as shiny as the diamond Juan refers to Eva as, and hearing these classic songs performed wonderfully is always a treat.

Production credits

Cast Martha Kirby, Tyrone Huntley, Gary Milner, Chumisa Dornford-May, Dan Partridge, Jacob Atkins, Jacob Fisher, Ashley Gilmour et al

Direction Nikolai Foster

Musical direction Ben van Tienen

Music supervision Stephen Brooker

Orchestrations Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Cullen

Choreography Adam Murray

Set Michael Taylor

Lighting Joshie Harriette

Sound Adam Fisher

Costumes Edd Lindley

Andrew Lloyd Webber music

Tim Rice lyrics

Leicester Curve 27 November 2023 – 13 January 2024. Reviewed on 1 December 2023

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2024 issue of Musicals magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today