Theater review: Evita

by Mark-Brian Sonna of of MBS Productions

This is my fourth time to see Evita (which closed June 28 at the Promenade Theatre in Richardson). Each time I’ve seen it has had the luxury of having a huge budget behind it. This is frequently called the first of the mega-musicals, and hence why it’s seldom ever performed on local stages. Repertory Company Theatre decided to tackle it as part of their summer series and I’m glad to report that they did quite a remarkable job of downsizing this show to a smaller stage and pulling it off with a smaller budget.

Evita chronicles the life of Eva Peron, a girl from the slums who sleeps her way up to a position of power. It is a sardonic evaluation of this controversial woman’s life. The musical score boasts half a dozen Broadway standards and has been performed the world over.

One of the biggest difficulties is the score. While I’m not fond of “canned” music, it is a more affordable way to go. To compensate for the overly electronic sounding music track, Music Director Pam Holcomb-McClain cast almost unanimously top rate singers. When the opening chorus chants diaphanously “Evita, Evita…” chills ran through me. The cast of 23 amply filled the aural requirements of this musical. Granted some voices were stronger the others, but collaboratively the effect was wonderful.

The star in the show isn’t Eva Peron, as one might expect. Max Swarner plays the narrator Che. He has a fabulous voice. He also commands the stage. He is thrilling to behold. I was shocked to discover that he is still in his teens. He plays Che with such great subtext that his performance rivals and exceeds many of the other Che’s I’ve seen. I’d say get this kid to Broadway NOW, but we’d lose a great musical talent locally. He deserved every ovation he got and more. Bravo.

Laura Alley as Eva Peron nails her character down. Catching this show on a Sunday, she’d performed the role several times already during the week and unfortunately her voice seemed a bit tired. This has been a problem for every singer who has tackled Evita, including Patti Lupone who played it so successfully on Broadway. Ms. Alley was wise in saving her voice for the crucial moments in the musical. “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” is the earth shattering song near the opening of Act 2. She delivered it and the other crucial songs beautifully.

Darin Fimple plays Juan Peron. He certainly looked and acted the part. His baritone voice was very expressive. I could spend the day listening to this man sing, his voice is that good. This said, I must comment at this point about an interesting choice that was made vocally for the musical. Everyone sang with a Spanish accent, which was a conscious choice made by the directors of the show. This is the first time I’ve heard the lyrics delivered with this vocal pronunciation and while it worked most of the time, there were several moments where the vowel sounds created a curious timbre that slightly detracted from the score. In Fimple’s case, by being a baritone, this vocal choice amplified the effect and caused some garbled pronunciations making a few of the words to be unintelligible. This is not the performer’s fault. His vocal delivery was consistent but this directorial choice in confluence with Mr. Fimple’s deeper register caused this effect. Fortunately, the loss of words was few and was relegated to the lowest notes.

Scott Vollmer, as the questionably popular singer Augustin Magaldi, delivered his smaller role with much panache. I liked the fact that he had a difficult time hitting the higher register required of his songs -- he is supposed to be a second rate singer in the show. Donna Knight as Peron’s mistress gets to sing one the famous “Another Suitcase Another Hall” and delivered it quite nicely.

Director Debra Carter used the space to maximum effect considering the enormous requirements to mount this show. Her compositions were solid and she kept the action moving swiftly. She also served as both the set and costume designer. Her costuming choices were excellent, and while the set concept was good, it lacked the refinement needed for such a musical. Considering the budget limitations all theatres have and especially this expensive production, she was smart in focusing the money on costuming.

If there was one strong negative to the show, it was the lighting. Daniel McGravey used the lights to create many special effects. The lighting system is limited at this theatre and too many lights were sacrificed for these effects. It would have been preferable to more brightly and consistently illuminate the stage and cut back on the special spots and colors. As it was, there were many dark spots.

I must say after seeing several shows at Repertory Company Theatre of Dallas I’m amazed at the creative and artistic feats they have pulled off. They dare to tackle big shows that not many other theatres would dare touch. They may not be perfect, but for the inexpensive cost to attend this theatre in comparison to others in the Metroplex, you definitely get your entertainment and artistic dollar’s worth. It would be wonderful to see what Debra Carter could do with a mega budget, for she definitely has a sense of how to mount these complex musicals. This is the fourth show I have caught at RCT since I became a reviewer, and each time I leave impressed with what they are able to do. I look forward to their next production.

Mark-Brian Sonna is an independent theatre producer in the North Texas area and is artistic director of MBS Productions.

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