Evita: A dazzling performance that divides opinion

Evita | London Palladium until 6th September

Eva Perón is back on stage at the London Palladium, and this time she’s doing it Jamie Lloyd’s way. Lloyd is known for his stripped-back minimalist productions using video technology, and his Evita is no exception.

The buzz started before the show even opened: during the famous number Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Evita (Rachel Zegler) exits onto the Palladium balcony and sings to the street crowd below, whilst a live camera beams her face to the paying audience indoors.

Lloyd’s Evita is part political drama, part high-voltage pop concert. From the moment Zegler bursts out in a bikini bottom and sequins, you feel like you’re at a rock concert. The ensemble fills the stage with energetic acrobatic choreography and flashing lights. I spent much of the show thinking: am I actually watching Jesus Christ Superstar or Beyoncé?

And Rachel Zegler? She’s sensational as Eva. Imagine the charisma of a movie star with the lungs of a Broadway diva – that’s what she brings. She commands the stage in a bikini-corset outfit, but she is allowed the signature white dress and blonde wig for her balcony experience.

The cast around her is strong, too. James Olivas plays Juan Perón as a muscle-bound strongman with a rich baritone and real stage presence. The big surprise is Che: in Lloyd’s version, he’s not the famous revolutionary at all but a generic “everyman” narrator. It’s a clever idea, but sometimes confusing, in typical Lloyd manner he ends up in his underpants, covered in blood and blue-and-white paint, for reasons I couldn’t fathom, other than a strong image.

Diego Andrés Rodriguez is energetic with strong vocals, having been discovered in the ensemble of Lloyd’s Broadway Sunset Boulevard. It is a seriously impressive debut.

However, unless you’re already familiar with 1940s Argentine history you are unlikely to follow what is going on. The brilliance of Tim Rice in introducing Che Guevara as a narrator who never met Evita is that it presents a counter-view to celebrating someone who was essentially a fascist. I did wonder what someone unfamiliar with the original would make of it, and I had that answered when I heard an audience member behind me say at the interval: *“I haven’t a f@king clue what’s going on!!!”, and that about sums up the experience.

Born María Eva Duarte to humble beginnings, she became a radio actress and used that fame to charm Colonel Juan Perón, whom she married in 1945. As First Lady from 1946 until her death, Evita was adored by Argentina’s working class, the descamisados, or “shirtless ones.” She built hospitals, schools and orphanages through her foundation, and even helped win women the right to vote. In short, she was a powerful political figure.

Famous past Evitas include Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone, with Madonna immortalising the role on film in 1996. Zegler now is an equal in this distinguished company. I hope we will get a cast recording – for the moment we just have to satisfy ourselves with her single of Argentina.

Jamie Lloyd’s production doesn’t bother itself too much with that history, but it’s really the spectacle that grabs you. The score is magnificent, with exciting orchestrations: Buenos Aires, High Flying Adored, and of course Argentina itself are all here.

The staging is basic but effective: Soutra Gilmour’s set has high metal steps, with an enormous video screen in Act Two and rock-concert lighting. Lloyd’s style is to launch you headfirst into Eva’s world: sometimes it works brilliantly – the balcony scene is just thrilling and supports the show better than the similar walk in Sunset Boulevard; the confetti-filled balloons that signify gunshots are a nice touch. At other times, though, it’s just confusing.

In the end, I felt conflicted. If Evita to you is a pop concert, you’ll be in heaven. If you were hoping for a strong narrative that tells her story with a political point of view, you will either be confused or disappointed. But narrative is something that has never troubled Lloyd!

Jamie Lloyd’s Evita is part Beyoncé concert, part musical – dazzling, confusing, but utterly thrilling at a superficial level.

[Image Credit | Getty Images]

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