Seeing the recently
presented stage show Evita in
Nashville was a fascinating experience on at least two levels, one for the
experience of watching a full stage production by a local theater company who
were hosts to the Broadway principals; and secondly for a chance to delve into
the personality of the title character. Rarely has a show like Evita been taken over so completely and expertly as this one, with
Studio Tenn in cooperation with TPAC providing the set, costumes, and
ensemble. To my rather critical eye,
having for several years in the long ago past being involved in theater work as Executive
Director of the Hendersonville Arts Council, all aspects of the production were
professionally, even beautifully handled.
From the impressive architectural backdrop that represented some sort of
public building with a suggestion of old world Spain, to the appropriate
costumes, and even one particularly spectacular gown worn by Eden Espinosa, who
portrayed Evita, the locals held up their end extremely well. Still, for me, what kept me engrossed was the
historical woman herself as depicted by lyricist Tim Rice and the
memorable music of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Eva Peron’s story is a mixture of raw ambition,
determination, cleverness, and deceit, motivated only partly by greed. After seeing the show, really an operetta
with the dialogue sung in recitative fashion, I was driven to Wikipedia for
further information. I’m old enough to
remember the real Evita, but this production stimulated my interest in her
background as well as her connection to Che Gueverra played by Ben Crawford,
who as narrator gave a masterful performance, being on stage for nearly the
entire two and a half hours. As it
turned out from my further investigation, Evita and Che were connected only in
a limited way in real life. Che, the
scion of a prominent family, was a highly educated revolutionary who was
destined to die in another South American country. Evita, on the other hand, would have been
beneath his contempt, both because of her illegitimate birth, and her lack of that
idealism that informed his own misguided life.
As a matter of fact, her low estate kept her from achieving any access
to the aristocrats of Argentina, no matter how high she ascended in
politics.
Early on, making her way on the stage she attracted
attention by her beauty and a voice interesting enough to get her radio spots
as well. Her life would have been a hard
one as she fought to lift herself from the gutter and achieve some sort of
fame. But it was when an older man who
had just been involved in a military coup to take over the government saw her
that her life changed dramatically. Juan
Peron was forty-eight, exactly double of Eva’s twenty-four years when he threw
out his current mistress and took in the aspiring young woman. Soon she became his wife, having ideas of her
own on how to win over the hearts of the populace.
As any writer of biographies knows, trying to wrap a
sympathetic story around a character of low morals, unseemly ambition, and a
rapacious love of money makes for difficulties.
The librettist of Evita had his work cut out for him, but as we watched Eva Peron’s
life unfold, as she gathered the desperate poor around her and through it all revealed her need to be accepted and loved, we
could feel a sneaking sympathy for the woman.
Her interest in raising the status of women, even going so far as to
institute a women’s political party, was a hallmark of their
administration. She and Juan, at the
height of their power in Argentina took what they termed a “Rainbow Tour” of
Europe, obviously expecting to be touted for their great achievements, whatever
they might be. In Spain, the dream of
adulation came true for Evita as crowds hailed them wherever they went. In Italy, a rather mixed reception awaited them,
as was true in France. But in
Switzerland, they were pelted with tomatoes and even rocks, using their sojourn
there to open several bank accounts in their individual names. King George of England refused to receive
them, and so they returned to Argentina a bit chastened. Shortly thereafter, Evita took ill and died
at the age of thirty-four from cervical
cancer. Her death was mourned by the
common people, especially the women, whom she had drawn to her in life as if
she were a saint.
Saintly she was not, for after the Peron government fell, the once prosperous country was left in an abysmal condition, raped by the greed of Juan and the ever demanding Evita. Nonetheless, she was a force to be remembered and examined, a task successfully accomplished in this production.
