Review: ZACH Aims High with Season Opener, EVITA

On the opening night of EVITA, champagne was flowing, and members of the audience mingled in the lobby anticipating one of the most well-known and iconic musicals of all time. And because this was the official gala opening, the audience was filled with ladies and gentlemen who were dressed to the nines, much of it composed of giddy friends and family of cast members. As my friend and I took our seats, she whispered, "I could recite every line of this show." Truly impressive...

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's iconic seven-time Tony Award-winning rock opera tells the story of Argentine political leader, Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. We follow Evita's early life, rise to power, charity work, illness and death by cancer at the youthful age of 33. The musical began as a rock opera concept album released in 1976, and it was the first British musical to receive the Tony Award for Best Musical. There have been numerous professional tours and worldwide productions and cast albums, as well as the 1996 film of the musical starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas.

Right off the bat, the audience is introduced to the mysterious character of Che, played by Andrew Foote. Whether Che is Eva's conscience, our tour guide of her life, or an angel of judgment, it was thrilling to watch Foote embody this difficult role. From the moment he appeared, he had complete command of the stage and of the audience. Foote also proved that he had a beautifully solid control of his powerful vocal range to match his polished execution of the character. It was clear that from his very first scene, "Oh What a Circus", he was more than capable of Che's "one-man show", and we were all under his spell right up to Eva's last breath.

Playing the iconic role of Eva Perón, the lovely Madeline Trumble courageously attempted to build the persona of Evita with a bit of a different approach, both vocally and in characterization. But right away one could sense that she would struggle with her lower range, which at times could be almost inaudible. There is no doubt that she certainly has a very high belt that can cut through the orchestration and ensemble like a sharp knife, but it unfortunately lacks in the warmth and depth we are so accustomed to within that role. Without that vocal depth and color, this character will almost certainly be lacking in honesty and nuance as well. Trumble's style felt more reminiscent of Jesus Christ Superstar's brand of 70's rock than EVITA. Perhaps because Ms. Trumble had recently completed a national tour as Elphaba in Wicked, the physicality and vocal style of that particular role followed her into this one. And when we finally had arrived at the moment the audience had been waiting for, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", the overall presentation was more like a chat between friends-small, conversational and intimate, and certainly not as some iconic statement presented to thousands of people.

As Perón, Matthew Redden creates an extremely likable character-perhaps too likable. He is youthful, tall and attractive. But his Perón lacks that hungry, slightly vicious edge that the politician would have had. Redden has a beautiful lower range with such gorgeous color but would struggle a bit with his higher register. And because Evita is so operatic in its composition and is thoroughly sung from beginning to end, it does tend to expose various vocal weaknesses if they exist within the performers. No doubt, the show is a true test of one's vocal stamina.

Another standout performance of this production was Paul Sanchez in the role of Magaldi. Mr. Sanchez always approaches his characters with such ease and a natural ability to create character levels in all roles he tackles, that he consistently proves to be an audience favorite. In his opening scene, "On the Night of a Thousand Stars", his gorgeous vocal control and impeccable comedic timing instantly won over the audience, and this was evidenced by their reaction during his bow during curtain call.

ZACH always adequately makes use of their smaller stage by keeping the size of their ensembles under control. But in this particular production, the overall impact of the smaller cast size proved to be somewhat of a challenge against such dense scoring, and other than the more treble voices, most of the cast volume would be a bit buried by the orchestration. Perhaps another reason for this imbalance is also due to the fact that EVITA is, frankly, a seriously heavy sing. This is why classically trained voices are often hired for the show; they are much more likely to soar over the orchestra whereas a more youthful voice might not. But I will say this: I certainly heard strength coming from the amazing soprano section of this ensemble, and the act one finale, "A New Argentina" was simply glorious.

In this production, Nick Demos fills the roles of both director and choreographer. Demos has proven his skill as choreographer time and time again, and there is no doubt that his work is polished in the productions that he tackles. But in this case I feel that it might have been a bit overwhelming to wear both of those hats. In both stage direction and choreography, some details were missed, some moments were lost and the choreography wasn't the gorgeous final product we usually see from Demos. I also found the inconsistency of dialects within the cast a bit confusing. While I do understand why a director would take a culturally sensitive approach to the original Argentinian dialect within the leading roles, the diction in the dialogue was overly Americanized and thin. It probably would have been advisable to move more toward a Transatlantic or broader dialect, which would have added a level of authenticity.

As always, Allen Robertson was brilliant in musical direction, and the fullness of his arrangement of the orchestration was breath taking. Costumes by Court Watson were lovely, but I believe that it might have been a mistake for the two young mistresses on Perón's lap to wear dresses that were so strongly reminiscent of those worn by the little children in "Santa Evita". I also need to mention one unfortunate wig choice for EVITA: A particularly mis-cast wig of a seemingly Victorian flavor. And until she changes into that classic tight blonde bun, the large, blonde "up-do" would follow her from scene to scene...into bed...into Tango with its own Dickens-like personality-even preventing Trumble from moving freely within her choreography. Other than these two details, the cast looked simply stunning.

Overall, EVITA is a lovely production with so many memorable moments, and I highly suggest that you catch Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic jewel before it closes this weekend.

ZACH Theatre's EVITA will be playing now through Sunday, November 1st at The Topfer Theatre at 202 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704. Performances are Wednesday, October 28th thru Friday, October 30 at 7:30PM, Saturday, October 31st at 2:30 and 7:30PM, and Sunday November 1st at 2:30PM. Tickets are $47-$85. For tickets and information, please visit ZachTheatre.org.

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