Skylight Music Theatre presents: EVITA

Andrew Varela and Rána Roman in Skylight Music Theatre’s production of Evita. Photo by Mark Frohna.

By Mary Boyle
 
The music of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice has made a profound impact on American culture.  Even if you’ve never seen a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat or Jesus Christ Superstar you would still likely recognize the songs “Any Dream Will Do” or “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”  However, if those two don’t ring a bell, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” almost certainly does, as it comes from the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical EVITA.  Now through February 19th, Milwaukee area audiences have an opportunity to see this production, live and in person, thanks to Skylight Music Theatre.

Based on the life of Argentina’s First Lady, Eva Perón, and her rise to become the most powerful woman in Latin America, Evita is an honest biography that tells the story from those who loved her and those who reviled her.  Born into a poor family on May 7, 1919, Eva Duarte dreamed of becoming an actress.  When she was only 15, she went to Buenos Aires and managed to find work with the theatre companies, as well as a contract to perform over the radio.  When she was just 20, she started her own company that produced radio programs, which is when she met the future President, Juan Perón.  Juan and Eva were married in 1945 and Juan became President the following year.  As President, Perón censored the media and imprisoned his rivals, but also increased government programs.  Eva established programs to help the poor, especially women and children, and grew to be known to the people as Evita.  By 1952, she was named the “Spiritual Leader of the Nation” but her country was crumbling as fast as her health.  Later that same year, she died of cervical cancer.

The musical began as a rock opera concept album, which was released in 1976, and its success led to productions in the West End and Broadway, where it became the first British musical to receive the Tony Award for Best Musical.  The “rock” aspect of the musical remains which, for me, made it feel dated and actually took away from the production.  That being said, there is no denying the staying power of the songs and the story is highly relevant today; in fact, Perónism is still alive and well in Argentina and their history serves well as a cautionary tale for our own country.

Directed and choreographed by Gustavo Zajac, with music direction by David Bonofiglio, Evita is opening 1,050 days late, according to Skylight’s Artistic Director Michael Unger; however, while it could have been one of the many shows lost to the pandemic, the long delay ended up having some upsides: it turned what was to be only a concert into a full-blown production and, while many of the cast members remain from the original concert, some additions and replacements have only added to it, including having Zajac, who was born in Buenos Aires and whose parents grew up under the Perónist regime, as Director and Choreographer.

“In school I studied international relations and political science,” Zajac said.  “Evita brings my two passions together.  It is highly charged politically and artistically.”
Skylight veterans Rána Roman and Andrew Varela are incredible as Eva and Juan Perón (Varela even looks astonishingly like him).  New to Skylight is Richard Bermudez who plays Che, a narrator of the story and the voice of the critics of Evita (and what a voice!), as well as Christian Feliciano as Magaldi, who is somewhat downplayed as simply the man who “discovered” Eva (or the man she used to get her where she wanted to go), but who was actually one of the greatest Tango singers in South America.  The combined vocal power of these four main characters will knock your socks off, alone, but then there are the Tango dancers.  Guillermina Quiroga and Mariano Logiudice are both highly renowned Tango dancers who add to the production exponentially; their dance at the opening of the show gives the entire musical a sense of sadness, sophistication, and beauty that, alone, is worth the price of admission.

EVITA runs through February 19, 2023, at the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, located at 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward.  Tickets may be purchase at https://www.skylightmusictheatre.org/ or by calling the Box Office at (414) 291-7800.  The show is two hours and 15 minutes, which includes one 20-minute intermission.  Discounted parking vouchers for $5 can be purchased from the Box Office for use in the Historic Third Ward parking garage at 212 N. Milwaukee Street. The Skylight Bar & Bistro, located on the second floor of the Broadway Theatre Center and operated by Noble Catering, is open two hours prior to curtain; to view the menu click here.
 
About Skylight Music Theatre
For over sixty years, Skylight Music Theatre has been performing a wide range of musical theatre, from baroque opera, European operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Broadway musicals to contemporary chamber operas, and original musical revues. This tantalizing mix of repertoire fulfills the mission of Skylight, which is to bring the full spectrum of musical theatre works to a wide and diverse audience in celebration of the musical and theatrical arts and their reflection of the human condition.  Skylight gives over 90 performances each season, winning national praise for its artistic excellence, versatility, and virtuoso ensemble productions.  Emphasizing the development of emerging American artists, directors, and designers, Skylight Music Theatre attracts important new talent from around the country. With extended rehearsal and production periods, Skylight artists are able to hone their skills, expand their repertoire, and gain invaluable experience.