REVIEW: Evita (Shakespeare Theatre Company)
Preview: With its eyes presumably set squarely on Broadway, American Repertory Theatre’s bright new production of Evita has landed in DC as part of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 23-24 season. Though why it was thought that the world needed a new, high-value rendition of the Webber-Rice staple we’ll never know (perhaps COVID-era desires for familiarity and competition the nascent popularity of Here Lies Love). Sammi Cannold, who first directed this show as a NYCC concert in 2019, is a known pupil of Hal Prince’s work and very publicly sought to bring his sort of dramatic flair into the 21st century under a female guise. With Evita, there are attempts to shake things up with neo-noir aesthetics, but how effectively does it coexist with such an ubiquitous work?
Book/Music: Full disclosure: I’m not an ALW fan. I think his shows are often exhausting and offer little substance, stuffing Tim Rice’s flowery prose into self-indulgent orchestrations, propped up to critical tolerance by overcompensate staging. This being said, I’m always down for reimaginings of work I previously didn't like. They may just surprise you! Unfortunately, Evita is dragged down so much by its confuddling book and noisy score that it approaches the plane of un-redeemability. Basically telling the mostly-true story of Eva Duarte’s rise from humble radio actress to effectively a goddess among Argentines, it focuses far too much on her being taken advantage of by men and not enough on her personal growth. Director Cannold seemingly attempts to reframe this through a feminist lens and fails spectacularly. Evita herself remains shockingly empty as a character, despite all the angles of improvement she dedicates herself to over the course of the show. Unfairly, it dedicates SO much attention to the narrator Che (no relation to Guevara, just the same name, a common mistake). Why did it feel like in the show about a powerful woman, a (nameless!) man was the focal point? A narrator foil can be a good addition to an especially bland book, but so much effort is spent on getting the audience to latch onto his point of view that it completely detracts from who we’re supposed to be cheering for. This is made all the more complicated that his argument isn’t even that convincing: what exactly has she done wrong? Not to say the actual historical Perons are saints, but in a pivotal scene where Eva decides to donate public funds back to the citizens, Che immediately bridges this act of public charity to media censorship, beef rationing, and poverty with little time to actually connect the dots, while the stage is full of thankful citizens. The book is full of contradictions like this that, ironically enough, leave me feeling like Che: despondently hanging around the stage until it’s time to be mad about…something. Don’t even get me started on the ending, where it seems like Eva is about to die like three separate times. When she finally does, all we’re left with is “Eva’s body went missing for 17 years”. That’s it. (Never mind the fact that by the original release of this musical, it had been found.) 0/10
Acting: I had especially high hopes, hearing the tales of the powerful Shereen Pimentel taking over the title role with power and audacity that would power the show through anything. While I’m not sure if it was the Harman Hall mixing or what, I found her blown-out and over-projected, never quite enunciating. She has a cool demeanor and inviting stage presence, which benefit the atmosphere of the production, but the vocal talent left some to be desired. Supporting her was a roundabout of stiff ensemble members, such as the stoic Omar Lopez-Cepero and disappointingly bland Cesar Samayoa. The ensemble was more or less the highlight, a diverse array of silhouettes and shapes that create the busy air of Buenos Aires and literally bring life to the lifeless -- especially with their dancing ability. 2/10
Production: What the show lacks in direction, it makes up for in stunning technical design, namely lighting and choreography. Bradley King’s lighting is stark and bright, relying heavily on neon outlines for pops of color, with the occasional gradient hue shifts around the interior of the stage. It relies a lot on cool tones, but is still incredibly vibrant; it particularly shines when the blues and grays of Alejo Vietti’s costumes appear grayscale in comparison. The joint choreography work by Emily Maltby and Valeria Solomonoff is simply incredible, with several scenes that utilize tango to move the story along featuring superb body movement and dynamism. 8/10
VisDev: Pre-show staging is an eerie field of flowers illuminated by the glow of Evita’s iconic white dress hovering above. Framing this is a red neon border. This attention-grabbing neon aesthetic is a brilliant welcome to this universe of Evita, and looks as good as any I’ve seen on other stages. Yet, the lack of any sort of music felt odd. Program art matches this fairly well, a tri-toned portrait of Eva’s profile with a strikingly bold red title above. I want to specifically point out the use of negative space in the Evita portrait, which reveals a person’s face and a teardrop. Very clever! 8/10
