BWW Interviews: EVITA's Caroline Bowman Returns Home to the Kennedy Center

For Evita's Caroline Bowman, singing the show's anthem "Don't Cry for me Argentina" is always an emotional experience. When the Evita national tour opens at the Kennedy Center Opera House this Thursday - the experience will be made all the more bittersweet for the Howard County native whose love of musicals started in the very same theatre where she is now performing.

DC BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Bowman about why she's eager to perform at the Kennedy Center, how research and jumping rope helped prepare her to play iconic Argentine First Lady Eva Peron, what life is like on the Evita national tour and the advice she would give to other DC-area actresses hoping to follow in her footsteps.

Benjamin Tomchik (BT): As a Howard County native, how does it feel to be returning to DC as the star of the Evita national tour at the Kennedy Center?

Caroline Bowman (CB): It's unbelievable. I can't believe I'm going to DC! I grew up seeing shows at the Kennedy Center with my mom and grandmother. My grandmother was a big Broadway fan so I grew up watching all the old classic movie-musicals like White Christmas and Meet Me in St. Louis. I got this love of theatre from my mother and grandmother.

The Kennedy Center has always been so epic to me. You know, Broadway was and still is my dream, but in some ways performing at the Kennedy Center trumps that. It's a surreal experience because I grew up going to shows there. I feel like everything on this tour has led to the Kennedy Center. Over the course of the tour, I've thought, "How would I feel about my performance tonight if it were at the Kennedy Center?"

I've had the privilege to play this role for the past year. I don't know how you would do it for a short amount of time, because so many iconic women have played this role and you really have to sink your teeth into it. With all of that, I'm excited to end my journey as Eva at the Kennedy Center. I'm just thrilled and honored.

BT: Evita is known to be a demanding show for actresses in the title role. What did you do to prepare for playing Eva? Since Eva Peron was a real person, does that factor into your preparatory process and performance?

CB: Yes! Prior to coming to rehearsal, my entire preparation was reading everything I could about her [Eva Peron]. When we got to rehearsal, the director and choreographer really helped mold my Eva. They helped me really focus on what information was going to be helpful to me for my performance, and what was just background info. I had to look at who was this woman, who was a real person, and was an actress and then became this iconic first lady.

I also had to really prepare physically for this role, especially "Buenos Aires." As you know, with this number there's a lot going on and if you aren't prepared for it, it can leave you winded. During rehearsal, I used to jump rope while singing "Buenos Aires," so I could see how my body would feel after the number.

Even now I still have to prep my body for the role. I workout everyday to build stamina, I'm doing yoga and getting regular massages. Theatre is a 24-hour job and this role is a 24-hour role. Playing Eva, you have to have a kind of self-awareness about how your body's feeling. Because you're constantly onstage and when you're offstage it's for a quick wardrobe change. You really have to take good care of yourself.

BT: Can you take us through a day in your life on the Evita national tour? How does touring in a show differ from being on Broadway aside from the obvious?

CB: Aside from the obvious of going to your own home, your own things, everything is different. Every audience is different, every climate is different, every room and pillow is different and your body is going to feel that. I still get up and do vocal warm-ups to see where my voice is at, and then I make my plan for the day. I workout every day to keep my stamina up, and of course we have regular rehearsals. On Saturdays, since I don't perform at the matinee show, I try to do something that's good for the soul. I've gone to the movies, done something touristy, and walked through a botanical garden. This brings me to a place of serenity before I go to the theater and conquer this role.

Bringing it back to DC, I'm going to stay at home with my parents, which is awesome! That's going to be so comforting and so familiar. It's like I'm going to be doing a regional theater gig and staying with my parents again (laughing).

BT: Is it tough to constantly be changing theatres when you're on tour?

CB: I try to give the same performance in every city and give it my all, regardless if we're playing a huge opera house like the Kennedy Center or a smaller theatre. Sometimes it can be challenging to look at the back row and think, "I need to hit that." That can sometimes be hard to do but our cast strives to keep the show's honesty and integrity in every city. There's an honest and direct approach with our production and we try to keep it that way.

BT: The second act opener, "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada/Don't Cry for Me Argentina," is the most well-known scene in Evita. As an actress how do you make a moment like that your own?

CB: In that moment, I just speak to the people. Every time I perform that song [Don't Cry for Me Argentina]; I walk out and put myself in Eva Peron's shoes. She was this women who was on this balcony speaking to the people. I think about where she came from, what she had to overcome and relate it back to me. Where did I, Caroline, come from and my journey. Every time I do this, it's special to me.

I don't think about everyone else who has played the role and what they've done. I'm not trying to be anyone else, just me. Singing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is always emotionally overwhelming and I just try to tell the story from that moment.

BT: Having first defied gravity as Elphaba in Wicked and now starring as Eva Peron in Evita, what advice would you give to the teenager at Glenelg High School, where you first got involved in musical theater, or the young actress making her professional stage début at Toby's Dinner Theatre, where you made your professional stage début, who wants to follow in your footsteps?

CB: Never stop working hard. I work just as hard now as I did in high school. My work ethic has always been to work hard and strive for greatness. The work never ends. So when your dreams start coming true, you can't rest on your laurels. You have to keep moving on. You're always learning as an actress, you never stop. My high school drama teacher was the one who taught me how to work hard. This is a tough career and its hard work from the beginning, that is, if you really want it from the beginning. Things are never just going to happen.

Also, be nice to everyone. Not only do people want to work with a hard worker, they want to work with a good person. Just be good to people! I'm looking forward to the next thing and right now, that's DC. I'm so excited to come home and to do Evita at the Kennedy Center!

Evita plays thru October 19th at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets, call (202) 416-8000 or purchase them online.

Photo: Caroline Bowman as Eva Peron in Evita at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Credit: Richard Termine.