Review of Evita (2009) by Gabriella P — 06 Mar 2010

E is for Evita.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera (or should that be "tango opera"?) follows Eva Duarte (Madonna) from her impoverished childhood to her media stardom to her meteoric political rise as Evita Peron and her equally dramatic and premature death. Her lover and then husband, Col. Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce), is mostly just along for the ride - and what a ride it is! The story is narrated by a Greek chorus figure representing all Argentinians and known simply as Che (Antonio Banderas), whose disdain for Evita's excesses and disappointments is overshadowed in the end by his genuine love for her, reflecting Argentina's perpetual devotion to this former actress and voice of the oppressed.

"Evita" is an unusual musical in a number of ways. First, there is truly only one main character. Second, the central relationship is between a woman and a country (even though on screen, Argentina is represented by a single man). Third, it is essentially an opera, by which I mean that there is no dialogue and no plot that is separate from the songs. It is a whirlwind of energy, one song after another, dances and action without any quiet or calm moments until Evita herself finally burns out.

I'm sure any complaints I have about "Evita" have been heard before. Madonna is too old to be playing Eva even at her oldest age, and certainly is not believable as the 15-year-old ingenue. Jonathan Price is about as charismatic as a wet noodle. The facts of Evita's life are dramatized and distorted in favor of theatrical effect (though not so very much - I've been to visit Evita's grave in La Recoleta and nearly 60 years later, it's still a national landmark). Still, the singing is quite good, the songs are aggravatingly catchy, and the end is emotionally touching.

Overall, an intense and driven musical semi-biography of Evita Peron, with a famous and mostly fitting cast, and plenty of catchy tunes and flashy numbers.