Evita at the Dominion...

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 4:47pm

Saw it last night. I've seen many, many productions of this show, and Marti Pellow is the worst Che I've ever seen. I don't get it. He can't sing. And he looks like he's 80 years old. The audience gave him a standing ovation, even though he flubbed lyrics right and left, missed all of the high notes, and was generally creepy.

On the plus side, Madalena Alberto was one of the best Eva's ever. She got the humor in a role that doesn't have a lot of humor.

I liked the earthquake sequence, which is new.

The big problem with this production is that it's rather dull. The choreography was embarrassing, and the goosebumps moments failed. And the musical number tempos were deadly. I thought we were never getting out of another suitcase in another hall.

Ricky Martin couldn't act in hitherto recent NY production, but Pellow couldn't act, sing or dance.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/18/14 at 12:42am

Why they don't just remounted the original Hal Prince staging is beyond me.

[Nickhutson]

Posted: 9/18/14 at 6:14am

Because Kenwright has directed it/restaged it/rewritten it...

[nataliealana]

Posted: 9/18/14 at 11:59am

I actually loved this production and saw it twice on tour. However Pellow is an absolute embarrassment- who keeps casting him?!

[vassey]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 7:49am

He put bums on seats. Regardless of his acting ability.

[rockyhorrorfan]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 11:57am

Pellow is the reason I won't be seeing this production of Evita. He was awful as the Narrator in Blood Brothers (unfortunately he's returning to the role for the show's Glasgow date on its current tour).

Mind you having seen the show (Cheapa Evita), and its star, lampooned in Forbidden Broadway I don't think I could take it seriously.

[nataliealana]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 5:43pm

Right, I've seen this in several places but nobody has clarified. What exactly has Forbidden Broadway said about Madalena?!

Pellow murders everything he's in. I've bought tickets at least five times for shows and had him later added as a cast announcement. I have now seen him slaughter Jekyll & Hyde, Witches of Eastwick, Blood Brothers, War of the Worlds and Evita!

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 5:51pm

I confess, I'm an American, but what is the deal? Pellow is famous for ... Wet Wet Wet? He CANNOT sing. He has no diction, and an accent that is half Algiers and half Addis Ababba.

Why does he sell tickets?

[nataliealana]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 5:04am

I wouldn't like to generalise but there's a certain demographic that still has a massive soft spot for the Pellow.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 6:29am

I saw this production in the Orchard, Dartford and was very underwhelmed.

However I thought Marti Pellow was quite serviceable in this, it was Madalena Alberto that gave me shivers. However I am prepared to see this again to see if I was wrong, if she was having a bad day, how they have upscaled the set from the Orchard to the Dominion.

[nataliealana]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 7:03am

I'd say give it another go. She's been brilliant every time I've seen her.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 7:47am

Exactly and that is why I will see Evita again, as not just being a fan of the show, but when you go to the theatre you are seeing one of a kind performance, that no one else will see apart from your fellow patrons, it maybe she was having a bad day, received bad news or she just did not feel up to performing.

I saw Madalena a couple years back at the Union hi Jekyll and Hyde, she didn't stand out as being bad, but she wasn't memorable either.

But I will go back with an open mind!

[Nickhutson]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 8:05am

Ha!

I read: "I saw Madalena a couple years back at the Union hi Jekyll and Hyde..." as "I saw Madonna a couple years back at the Union hi Jekyll and Hyde..."

Best put my specks on!

[rockyhorrorfan]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 11:45am

Madalena is spoofed in a song in Forbidden Broadway as are a host of other stage performers including Hugh Jackman, Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno.

[bob8rich]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 4:45am

When I saw Evita last October in Swansea, Madalena was utterly fantastic. She was also utterly fantastic as Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde at the Union.

I did not get to see her as Fantine in the 25th Anniversary Les Mis tour but heard wonderful things about her performance (really gutted I did not see her in that role - she is such an incredible actress). But I've heard her sing I Dreamed A Dream via a number of videos on youtube and she simply blows me away. Here's one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS_kMu_YNKk

[bob8rich]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 5:12am

Just found these vids of Madalena on youtube.

"On My Own" - best version of this I've heard since Frances Ruffelle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fVUQ1_cEFA

"Climbing Uphill" from "The Last 5 Years":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRYPvwkEV6o&index=2&list=PL-XIgz2Y_RdvYKJI0p4pH4Mz2fIN3i7oz

Medley from "Chicago":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPCKmDMJipc&list=PL-XIgz2Y_RdvYKJI0p4pH4Mz2fIN3i7oz&index=3

This lady is something special.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 8:14am

There were a lot of negative comments about her les mis performance during the tour. She does seem a bit marmite

[nataliealana]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 12:46pm

I get that FB is spoofing lots of performers but it seems a bit unfair when she's not really an established star. Well, in comparison to the others mentioned.

What year did she do Jekyll and Hyde? I saw the show but I'm sure it wasn't her.

[bob8rich]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 1:01pm

natalieana - Madalena was in Jekyll & Hyde at the Union Theatre in May 2012.

[nataliealana]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 1:02pm

Did she do the tour?

[bob8rich]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 2:35pm

No - Lucy on the J & H tour was played by the wonderful Sabrina Carter - and 1st Cover Lucy was recent West End Frame Understudy of the Year, Carolyn Maitland.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 9/21/14 at 2:42pm

Hmmm that performance on Sunday night at the palladium was a bit 'hmmmm'

[pinkyboy]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 5:23pm

Saw the show last night. Moved up to London about a month ago and thought why not finally take advantage of the cheap last minute student tickets (Don't know why it took me so long). Got the tickets from a booth in Leicester Square and then walking to the theatre, saw Marti Pellow on a banner outside the theatre, and regretted the ticket. I saw him in Blood Brothers just before it closed and he was the one bad part (and when I say bad, I mean pretty much abysmal) about that production).

Have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Here, he was just as bad as in Blood Brothers, but I felt like Che isn't as huge a role as the Narrator. There's not much in it, but any less I have to sit through him singing is a plus. Besides Pellow, I really enjoyed this production. Can't say I knew much about it going in (beside a couple of the songs) and I really enjoyed it.

Madalena is an amazing performer and really shines, especially in Act 2 where the character has more to work with. The guy playing Peron (don't know the actors name) was also great, probably my favourite in the production. He gave a really layered performance and I was surprised people gave Pellow a standing ovation and not him. But all in all, its a good production, and if you get a chance, go see it.

I would avoid paying full price for seats though. We got ours for half price stalls, so still a lot on a student budget but I wouldn't pay any more than £30-40 if you can help it. Even with everyone else being so great, Pellow is still one of the two main characters.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 10/12/14 at 3:21pm

I went back to see this in the West End as I said I would after being a very lonely voice of critics and board members as one of the detractors of Ms Madalena Alberto, when I saw this way back at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, so went back to Dominion Theatre to see if I saw her on an off night and my opinion was wrong.

Sitting in the the theatre for the first 30 minutes, I was very wrong she was excellent and a completely different Evita than I saw in Dartford and it was. The penny dropped that Evita doesn't do 8 performances a week and her alternative was on, who happened to be Ms Michelle Pentecost, or should I say the very excellent Michelle Pentecost.

I am determined to see Madalena Alberta again, the only problem is after Michelle, she now has a lot more to live up to.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 10/16/14 at 7:33pm

I saw this tonight after seeing a luck-lustre by Ms Madalena Alberto performance in Dartford, Orchard Theatre several months ago.

Went back last week, I saw an excellent alternative. But said I go back to check out Madalena after I was a lone voice with critics and social media posters who thought otherwise. So I went back to eat humble pie, which I did, I witnessed performance that was at odds to the one I saw at Dartford, Ms Alberto delievered a radiant but tender performance that exuded star quality. I think work will find her in the future and her fringe days are gone.

Now at Dartford I imagine it doesn't do your spirits good entering the theatre going past a KFC and Poundland. Saying that seeing the same person giving 2 different performances goes to prove how organic and natural theatre is and when you go you see a specific one of a kind performance.