Oh what a show! Evita's circus rolls back into town
by DAN CAIRNS for the Sunday Times

The revival may be the chief talking point, but the show’s significance runs deeper than that. It transformed perceptions of the pair: no longer were they dabblers in the Old and New Testaments. After Evita, they were bankers, Lloyd Webber especially: fillers of charabancs from the shires, packed with fans of Memory and The Music of the Night. Evita launched them on their paths to their current status: Rice with Oscars for The Lion King et al; Lloyd Webber, here in what the eye insists are two, possibly three, London mansions knocked into one, hung with priceless works of art, all glass lifts and sweeping spiral staircases, like a Bond film, the main reception room as big as a tennis court. All that, and a critical reputation that has declined as their fortunes have increased.

Which takes us back, again, to Evita. ...

published: May 14, 2006

All-singing, all-dancing - and all difficult
by MATT WOLF for the Daily Telegraph

Trickiest scene:
"The trickiest part of the journey is negotiating in musical theatre terms a musical that has its last third chanting for the death of your leading actress. Let's be honest: that's a wonderful challenge for an audience."

published: June 12, 2006

Ariana Goitia 'Takes Five'
'Evita' is not only a play but a story of actress' family
by ANGIE VO for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Q. Is there anything in Milwaukee that reminds you of Argentina?

A. Actually, the architect (Santiago Calatrava) for (the addition to) the Milwaukee Art Museum is the same person who designed the bridge in Buenos Aires that my great-uncle donated to the city. It was such a coincidence seeing it here, and it always reminds me of Argentina.

published: June 14, 2006

Evita
by MICHAEL BILLINGTON for the Guardian

Why did Evita cause such a stir back in 1978? Partly because the best-selling double album had familiarised us with the Andrew Lloyd Webber score and Tim Rice lyrics. Partly because of the Broadway dazzle of Hal Prince's production. Partly because of Elaine Page's performance. But, watching Michael Grandage's perfectly decent revival, one becomes aware of the dramatic insubstantiality of the show itself.

published: June 22, 2006

Evita
by BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for the Times

Roger is Argentinian herself and quite a revelation. Philip Quast’s Perón looms over her like a brontosaurus over a stick-insect, but, whether she’s shimmering in triumph or preparing for a poignant death, it’s Roger who commands the stately marble and elegant iron fretwork of Christopher Oram’s set. She has a grin the size of her body, and it can look flirtatious, sassy, voracious or delighted, depending on circumstances.

published: June 22, 2006