EVITA national tour?- Page 2

[Marlothom]

Posted: 6/12/13 at 4:53pm

I mentioned this before - I read that Josh played Stratford's Che as the real Che Guevarra - whereas the recent revival used Che as more of a figurative way. I would think it would be a different performance for him - though his singing will be the same. I am thrilled! Though I wish they had a name for Eva.

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 6/21/13 at 7:26pm

Any more news? Interested to see who the alternate Eva will be

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 5:54am

I'm on pins and needles too. I loved the staging of the revival in NYC, and I can't wait to see it in Houston!

Wow, I'm pleased to hear at least one American loved Grandage's staging. I am a huge Hal Prince fanboy yet I still loved Michael Grandage's completely different take on the material (and thought Elena Roger was fantastic), and was disappointed that it didn't get the same critical reception in New York as it did in London. I got the impression that New Yorkers were extremely attached to the (legendary) original and wouldn't accept anything else, i.e. Patti and Hal or nothing. It was good to see a revival go completely the other way and do something new, rather than it being a watered down version of Hal's production, which would have just been infuriating.

[evic]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 7:39am

It was like the director didn't read the lyrics. There was no conflict between Eva And Everyman, Evita was an evil woman and she was deified and portrayed as sympathetic in this ridiculous production. And trying to make her Cassie from A Chorus Line was absurd. (I read that ALW wanted more dancing). Plus there was not one brilliant or showstopping moment of staging except the scene change into Buenos Aires. The only scene that worked for me was the Magaldi scene which seemed authentic. The opening was the deadliest 10 minutes of a musical I have ever seen. Pretty looking sets and lighting though. They need to get a butch Everyman who can act and a star quality Eva which they lacked on Broadway.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 9:45am

evic knows whats up.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 10:44am

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 10:54am

Marlo, I also had the pleasure of seeing Josh in Stratford. Did not love him as much as stratfordfan but he did a very nice job.

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 4:14pm

It was like the director didn't read the lyrics. There was no conflict between Eva And Everyman, Evita was an evil woman and she was deified and portrayed as sympathetic in this ridiculous production. And trying to make her Cassie from A Chorus Line was absurd. (I read that ALW wanted more dancing). Plus there was not one brilliant or showstopping moment of staging except the scene change into Buenos Aires. The only scene that worked for me was the Magaldi scene which seemed authentic. The opening was the deadliest 10 minutes of a musical I have ever seen. Pretty looking sets and lighting though. They need to get a butch Everyman who can act and a star quality Eva which they lacked on Broadway.

I blame Ricky Martin for this more than I do Grandage, simply because I know what you mean to an extent and can only say that there WAS conflict in London with Matt Rawle's Che. It had evaporated on Broadway. I have no idea whom Ricky Martin was portraying but it certainly wasn't any kind of adversary of Eva.

As for needing a star quality Eva, I will remain in disagreement with the majority on the Broadway board about Elena. She didn't achieve the electricity that earned her raves in London, where admittedly she was better and more ambiguous in her portrayal, but any producer of this production would have been mad not to transfer her considering she was the best praised element of the London production and earned an Olivier nomination.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 4:26pm

I could be wrong but Perhaps Elena got great reviews in London because she didn't have to live up to America's Evita? Am i right in saying that Elain Paige wasn't as Ferocious of an Eva as Lupone? London Audiences may have been more accustomed to Elena's Eva because it was more subtle like they had seen years earlier with Elaine. I am just guessing here.

Personally I think the reason Elena didn't get great reviews in America is because she was up against the memory of Lupone.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 4:46pm

Or perhaps Elena was just not that good....

I think people overanalyze this kind of stuff and then it looks like an 'excuse' for the person (or thing) in question. It is very possible that the criticism for Elena had nothing to do with Patti, or anyone else, and everything to do with her inability of handing the role.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 4:49pm

Elena's vocals are what did her in. She sounded like a dying cat. It was truly excruciating.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 4:53pm

"Elena's vocals are what did her in. She sounded like a dying cat. It was truly excruciating"

Which sorta baffles me on why she got great reviews in London. Her voice is not suited for this part and to be honest I thought she looked a bit old for it. It's a shame they didn't just have Mandy do the revival.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/23/13 at 4:57pm

I didn't see Elena, but I heard good things about her acting and dancing. But if you are the lead of a musical and have to sing probably more than half of a show, then your vocals better be pretty stellar. I've heard bits of the revival recording, and they were not aurally pleasing. Case in point: in all seriousness, she sounded like the little Gustave on the OLC of "Love Never Dies" when singing "Rainbow High."

[ajh]

Posted: 6/24/13 at 1:02pm

I saw Elena Roger in London and on Broadway, and her performance in the West End was subtly superior to what was on view at the Marquis: she was funnier, sharper, had more attitude and seemed more invested. I do wonder if part of this was because she was playing opposite a Che in London (Matt Rawle) that gave her some acting competition rather than the beautiful but bland Mr Martin. Either way, she was disappointing. I still think she is amazingly talented (her Piaf was sensationally good....and I think would have gone over way better than her Eva) but she isn't a powerhouse diva in the LuPone mode.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 1:17am

A lot has happened between her London performance and her Broadway performance. It's not like it transfered right after all of her great reviews, etc. She didn't have a ton of buzz or anything. Maybe she just wasn't as invested.

[DEClarke]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 12:13pm

Elena was the frist actress i saw play Eva Peron in EVITA on stage. I had only seen the film before her. I adored Elena's Eva. I thought she was incredibly strong, witty, and had fantastic presence on stage. Her voice is an acquired taste, but I love her voice as well.

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 3:16pm

I could be wrong but Perhaps Elena got great reviews in London because she didn't have to live up to America's Evita? Am i right in saying that Elain Paige wasn't as Ferocious of an Eva as Lupone? London Audiences may have been more accustomed to Elena's Eva because it was more subtle like they had seen years earlier with Elaine. I am just guessing here.

Personally I think the reason Elena didn't get great reviews in America is because she was up against the memory of Lupone.

I think there is some truth in this, although Elaine Paige did get a LOT of acclaim when she did the role and was unanimously well reviewed by the London critics at the time -- which is something that LuPone didn't experience. But there seems to be a cult following of LuPone as Eva that doesn't seem quite matched in Britain with Elaine Paige. That might be down to the fact there isn't a full recording of Paige's Evita as there was already the Julie Covington double album, which is what made the show well known here. The OBC isn't even available to purchase in Britain except in specialist shops. I also think the American view of Evita is different from that of the British view -- less a brash in-your-face diva (not that I don't enjoy that portrayal).

I think the different reception is due to a different view of Evita (the American view of the historical figure is generally a lot less sympathetic; Hal Prince made his production far more anti-Eva when it went to Broadway); the fact that Elena didn't have an antagonistic Che on Broadway which made the drama suffer; and, as another poster has said, the intervening 6 years between Elena's powerhouse performance in London and her Broadway debut. Elena was also stronger vocally in London. Not sure what happened to her in New York, although I don't think it was anywhere near as bad as some have claimed (for the record, I saw her in both productions).



Updated On: 6/25/13 at 03:16 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 3:19pm

Anymore rumors about who's in the tour cast?

[lovebwy]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 4:23pm

Maybe the producers should've gotten someone as Eva who could actually SING the score. I know that's a novel idea...

[justincharacter]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 6:47pm

Elena's vocals were not that good as others have stated, it sounded like she was straining her voice throughout the entire score. I know Patti felt like she was pushing her way through it every night, but at least she didn't show it. Elena on the other hand...I think Sara Ramirez or Mandy Gonzalez should have played Eva, and I think mainly everyone else can agree to that. By the way, why did the Evita revival only stay for a little while on Broadway, was it because of Elena and Ricky?

Updated On: 6/25/13 at 06:47 PM

[broadway guy]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 7:01pm

Scorpion: You hit it on the mark and said exactly what i was trying to say. Cheers!

[TheLadyoftheWood]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 11:01pm

@justin The reason for the Evita revival closing so early was due to them not being able to secure big-name leads to keep butts in the seats. They tried to no avail to secure leads and I believe I read somewhere they were coaxing Enrique Iglesias but his schedule and others who were up for parts in Evita, i.e. Lea Michelle, were not flexible enough.

The producers decided to cut their losses and close in the red rather than shelling out more money and hope for the best.

[justincharacter]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 11:54pm

So they never considered Mandy Gonzalez or Sara Rameiz? Hmm...

[shrekster224]

Posted: 6/28/13 at 8:34pm

Interesting....this video shows Jennie Ford and Mamie Paris rehearsing an Evita dance and states that Mamie does the Eva part....Weren't we thinking Eva would be Caroline Bowman?
Video

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/28/13 at 8:45pm

Nice scoop!