BWW Reviews: EVITA, Dominion Theatre, September 22 2014

It seems odd to go to the Dominion Theatre and not see that giant golden statue of Freddie Mercury looking down on you.

After this limited run of Evita, one wonders if they'll use the space to honour Madalena Alberto, who gives a simply astonishing performance as Eva Peron.

In a gorgeous display of acting through song, the versatility of her voice - from ambitious schoolgirl to steely stateswoman to vulnerable hospital patient - is marvellous.

Matthew Cammelle, as Juan Peron, sings beautifully - perhaps not the most convincing military dictator, but with a voice like that maybe it doesn't matter too much - and Ben Forster - he of Jesus Christ Superstar fame - shows a neat aplomb for comedy as Magaldi.

Marti Pellow, as Che, is the weak link, with his diction suffering in places and some of his top notes seeming like a little too much like a painful effort.

But the ensemble are strong with some neat choreography, and the melodies and harmonies remain beautiful, and if the sweeping narrative is occasionally rushed through with limited space for nuance, that's an inherent problem rather than one with this production.

With only a few weeks scheduled for this West End run, Evita is worth your time. Some may be bragging that they saw Alberto first in fringe productions, or in her turn as Fantine as Les Miserables, or even before that in Zorro or any of the cabarets she's done. Get on that bandwagon now.

Evita is running at the Dominion Theatre.

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