Evita (musical)
| Evita | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Original Broadway Recording | |
| Music | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| Lyrics | Tim Rice |
| Basis | The life of Eva Peron |
| Productions | 1976 concept album 1978 West End 1979 Broadway 1996 Film 2006 West End |
Evita is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics). It is based on events surrounding the rise to power of Juan Perón as President of Argentina and the significant role played in these events by his second wife, Eva Perón.
Musical history
Like the duo's previous hit, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita began as an album, released in 1976, with Julie Covington singing the lead role. Other parts were played by Paul Jones (as Juan Perón), Barbara Dickson (as the mistress), Colm Wilkinson (as Che, the narrator; credited as C.T. Wilkinson) and Tony Christie (as Agustín Magaldi). Covington's recording of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" reached No. 1 in the UK singles chart in February 1977, and had similar success internationally. Dickson's "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" also became a hit. In Britain, Australia, South Africa, South America, and various parts of Europe, sales of Evita exceeded those of Jesus Christ Superstar; in the United States, however, the concept album never achieved the same level of success.
In 1977 American singer Karen Carpenter released a successful cover of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" which was noteworthy in that it preserved the complete song as written for the musical, rather than converting it to a pop solo.
When Evita arrived on the West End stage at the Prince Edward Theatre on June 21, 1978, the title character was played by Elaine Paige, who had been selected from a large number of hopefuls, after Covington elected not to take the role. Che was played by the pop singer David Essex, and Perón by Joss Ackland. The show successfully opened on Broadway in 1979, and starred Patti LuPone as Evita, Mandy Patinkin as Che, and Bob Gunton as Perón. LuPone and Patinkin were both awarded Tony Awards for their work in Evita. Both the London and New York productions were directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Larry Fuller.
Plans were soon in place for a film, which was originally to have starred Barbra Streisand or Liza Minnelli as Eva, and Barry Gibb or Barry Manilow as Che, and was to have been directed by Ken Russell. This eventually did not materialise, and it was not until the 1996 film Evita, directed by Alan Parker, that the theatrical production came to the big screen, with Madonna in the title role, Antonio Banderas as Che, and Jonathan Pryce as Perón. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Original Song ("You Must Love Me", composed especially for the film).
Evita was the last collaboration between Lloyd Webber and Rice on a full scale musical production. It came sixth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the 'Nation's Number One Essential Musicals' (wherein 'nation' refers to the United Kingdom). [1]
On 2 June, 2006, Evita was revived at London's Adelphi Theatre, with Argentine actress Elena Roger as Eva Perón, Philip Quast as Perón, and Matt Rawle as Che. Notably, its song list included "You Must Love Me", written for the 1996 film, which had never been part of an English-language stage production.
The musical has been produced all over the world, and translated into many languages. It has been recorded many times. At least twenty-five English language cast albums have been released, along with many foreign language recordings. There are currently four in Spanish, five German, three in Japanese, and two in Hebrew, with additional recordings in Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Icelandic, Korean, Portuguese, and Swedish.
Historical credentials
- See also: Che Guevara in popular culture
'Che as well as Evita symbolize certain naïve, but effective, beliefs: the hope for a better world; a life sacrificed on the altar of the disinherited, the humiliated, the poor of the earth. They are myths which somehow reproduce the image of Christ.'[1]
The narrator of the musical is identified simply as 'Che' and is based partially upon the historical figure of Che Guevara, a native Argentinian who opposed the Perón regime. It should be mentioned, however, that the new, 2006 West End production's accompanying programme notes that when writing the show, Rice and Webber intended the narrator character to be purely an Everyman with an independent viewpoint, but gradually the character evolved to be more like Guevara. Further, it notes that the 1996 movie and 2006 stage-revival return the character to its original, independent stance, and he is often referred to simply as Narrator.
In the original productions of the musical, Che and Evita have a confrontation in the song "Waltz for Eva and Che". There is no evidence to suggest that Che Guevara and Eva Perón actually ever met. The only alleged contact that Guevara ever had with Perón was a letter he claimed to have sent to her charity, requesting a jeep; Guevara claimed that it was never received, and is also said to have joined a Peronist youth organisation in college, though only to gain access to their library.
After leaving Peronist Argentina in the mid-1950s, Guevara moved to Cuba. As Castro's collaborator, he came to occupy a position in Cuba's government arguably analogous to Evita's role in Peronist Argentina: that of spiritual leader. In the song "Waltz for Eva and Che", the character of Evita makes a reference to Guevara's future role in Castro's Cuba: 'So go, if you're able/To somewhere unstable/And stay there/Whip up your hate/In some tottering state/But not here, dear/Is that clear, dear?'[2]
The lyrics and storyline of the musical are based on Mary Main's biography Evita: The Woman with the Whip, which drew heavily upon the accounts of anti-Peronist Argentines. Shortly after the musical appeared, Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro published a more neutral account of Eva Perón's life, titled Evita: The Real Lives of Eva Perón, in which they claim that many of Main's assertions (which had influenced Rice's lyrics) were false, such as the suggestion that Eva had first gone to Buenos Aires as the mistress of a married musician, Agustín Magaldi. Instead, they wrote, Eva's mother Doña Juana had taken her there whenever she aspired to become a radio actress. Many people suggested that Rice's lyrics disparaged Evita's achievements unnecessarily, particularly her charity work.
Songs and plot summary
Act One
- "Requiem for Evita" (Chorus) is modeled on a Catholic requiem sung in Latin by the cinema crowd when they hear of Eva's death.
- "Oh, What A Circus" (Che) is sung by the narrator, assessing the hysterical grief that gripped Argentina when Evita died in 1952.
- "On This Night of a Thousand Stars/Eva, Beware of the City" (Magaldi) introduces the audience to young Eva, who blackmails tango singer Agustín Magaldi into taking her with him to Buenos Aires.
- "Buenos Aires" (Evita) reveals Eva's hopes and ambitions when she arrives in the city for the first time.
- "Goodnight and Thank You" (Che) tells the story of how Eva 'slept' her way up the ladder.
- "The Lady's Got Potential" (Che) tells of Eva's success as an actress and a right-wing coup in 1943. This number was cut after the 1976 recording and was then replaced with "The Art Of The Possible" in stage productions. The film soundtrack uses both numbers; however, the lyrics to "The Lady's Got Potential" were substantially re-written.
- "The Art of the Possible" (Peron, Generals, Evita) Perón is fighting members of his political party to rise to the top. This number was almost completely omitted from the film, only including one verse sung only by Che.
- "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You" (Evita and Perón) is the first meeting between the famous couple, shortly after a charity concert.
- "Hello and Goodbye" (Evita) sees Perón's previous mistress being dismissed by Evita.
- "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" (Perón's Mistress) is the young girl's song of rejection after having been kicked out by Eva. In the movie version, it is sung by Eva herself (after "Buenos Aires"), after realizing that Magaldi is married with a child.
- "Perón's Latest Flame" (Che) shows the upper-classes' disdain for Evita and the chauvinism of the Army.
- "A New Argentina" (Evita and Perón/Chorus) is the election campaign to make Perón the new president.
Act Two
- "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" (Evita) is the speech from the balcony of the Presidential palace to her adoring supporters.
- "High Flying, Adored" (Che and Evita) looks at the price of fame as Eva dances at the Inaugural Ball.
- "Rainbow High" (Evita) has Eva insisting on a celebrity/glamorous image in order to impress the people of Argentina and promote Peronism.
- "Rainbow Tour" (Perón, Advisers, Che) charts the success and decline of Eva's famous tour of Europe in 1946.
- "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like to Hear)" (Evita and Che) Eva affirms her disdain for the upper class and is approached by Che to start helping those in need.
- "And the Money Kept Rolling In" (Che) tells of Eva's controversial charitable work.
- "Partido Feminista" (Evita) (movie version only) another of Eva's speeches.
- "She is a Diamond" (Perón) Perón's generals do not want a female Vice-President, and Perón reveals that Eva's health is not up to the task.
- "Santa Evita" (Chorus) is the song of Eva's devoted supporters, who see her as a modern-day saint.
- "Waltz for Eva and Che" (Evita and Che) is a debate between the two characters over Eva's actions.
- "Eva's Sonnet / Your Little Body is Breaking Down" (Perón and Evita) Evita insists she can continue on, despite her failing health.
- "You Must Love Me" (Evita — written for the 1996 film, later added to the stage version) Eva understands, at the end of her life, that Perón loves her for herself — not just for what she can do for him and his career.
- "Eva's Final Broadcast" (Evita) a dying Eva renounces her pursuit of the vice presidency and swears her eternal love to the people of Argentina.
- "Montage" (Chorus) are Evita's past achievements flashing before her eyes before she dies.
- "Lament" (Evita) Eva recalls her life and asks for forgiveness.
Evolution of the musical
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice made several changes to Evita between the 1976 album and the stage version. Some songs were dropped or shortened, while others were introduced and some lyrics rewritten. Further changes were made for the movie version. This section presents some of the main alterations.
"Oh What a Circus"
The stage versions contains supplementary lyrics at the end where Che explains why he does not share everybody's grief.
"Another Suitcase In Another Hall"
The song is entirely sung by the Mistress in the stage version while Eva sing the movie version after being dropped by Magaldi. It must be noted that Eva actually dropped Magaldi at the beginning of "Good Night and Thank You" in previous version.
"The Lady's Got Potential", "The Art of the Possible" and the insecticide subplot
The 1976 album contained the song "The Lady's Got Potential" which described the rise of Eva and Perón. It was very particular in that it introduced a subplot about Che being a research chemist who developed an insecticide and aspired to capitalize on this creation. A short song was also inserted before the start of "Charity Concert", in which Peron and other officers introduce themselves as aspiring dictators. The song was dropped for the stage version, to be replaced with the "Art of the Possible", a musical chair number which focused on power struggles within Perón's political party. The movie version of "The Lady's Got Potential" merged the concepts of the 1976 version and "The Art of the Possible" but did not reintroduce the insecticide subplot. The movie only had a small section of "The Art of the Possible" sung by Che during the charity concert.
The insecticide was latter referenced near the end of the song "Dangerous Jade" (renamed as "Perón's Latest flame" in latter versions). During this segment, Che, brandishing an insecticide canister (as stated in the libretto), claims that Eva's quick ascension is an indication of how easy it should be for him to succeed as much.
In the second act, the insecticide is referenced again during the "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines". In this version, Che approaches Eva with a canister of insecticide to ask for funding. Eva refuses, preferring to bring help to those in need, with a reprise of "Goodnight and Thank You".
A final reference to the insecticide is made at the end of "Waltz for Eva and Che", in which he indicates having lost faith in Argentina and his insecticide project.
"Dice are Rolling", "Eva's Sonnet" and "You Must Love Me"
The 1976 album and the stage version featured different versions of the dialogue between Eva and Perón during "Dice Are Rolling". Both discussed Eva's illness and vice-presidency aspirations but the earlier conluded on "Eva's Sonnet", during which Eva reaffirms her aspirations. The stage version, "Dice are Rolling" concluded on a shorter version of the sonnet as Eva collapses due to her growing illness.
In the movie version, "Dice are Rolling", then renamed "Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down", was extensivelly shortened and the sonnet replaced with "You Must Love Me". During this song, a weakened Eva understands, at the end of her life, that Perón loves her for herself — not just for what she can do for him and his career. This concept was nearly absent in previous versions.
"Lament"
The stage version contained spoken lyrics at the end referencing the disapearance of Eva's body and the monument that was to be built for her. This is absent from the movie version and the 1976 album.
References
The episode of The Simpsons ("The President Wore Pearls") has a plot loosely based on the musical, including parodies of songs such as, "Don't cry for me, kids of Springfield," a parody of "Don't cry for me Argentina." Also at the end they display a disclaimer saying "On the advice of our lawyers, we swear we have never heard of a musical based on the life of Eva Perón".
Notes
- ^ "Evita Or Madonna: Whom Will History Remember?" Interview with Tomas Eloy Martinez Retrieved June 13, 2006
- ^ "Waltz For Eva And Che", lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Retrieved June 12, 2006