AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Evita - The Hippodrome, Todmorden.

'Evita' is a wonderful musical; powerful, evocative, emotive and emotional; full of both historical accuracy and a screeching 1980's soundtrack, as this story of Juan and Eva Peron is given the Tim Rice / Andrew Lloyd-Webber treatment. Written off the back of their success with Jesus Christ Superstar, the style and thematic progression, as well as the orchestration, are in many ways very similar; however in my opinion, 'Evita' is the more mature. Sadly though, for whatever reason, it seems to miss out on revivals, and it has been a very long time since I have seen a production of this show, despite the many Josephs and J C Superstars that are brought out ad nauseam! It was therefore very refreshing and wonderful to be able to revisit this show at the lovely Todmorden Hippodrome. This show was produced and presented by Todmorden Amateur Operatic And Dramatic Society. 

For those who don't know, Eva Duarte (1919 - 1952), was a young girl from the sticks who wanted to get away to Beunos Aires and become famous; this she would do by whatever means was available to her, which usually meant sleeping with a man with power. She became an actress, a radio presenter, a political activist, but it didn't take long before she found the man with the most power, Juan Peron, and seduced him too, soon becoming First Lady of Argentina. Politician and philanthropist, she became the country's saviour and sweetheart, despite rumours of embezzlement, she formed the Peronista Party and brought about women's suffrage in the country; but it was short lived, dying of cancer at just aged 33. The musical tries to fit much if not all of this into its 2 hour running time, and does so with the help of a quasi-narrator figure, Che, who although is more than probably meant to represent Che Guevara, it is never actually stated, and of course in reality the two never met.

This evening's production was a brave one, and one that could be described as very Curate's Eggish. Some parts were extremely good indeed, whilst others suffered a little from a lack of focus. The set, omnipresent and unmoving, was a pair of what could easily have been gothic cathedral vaults across a ceiling whilst a double staircase at the rear led to a small balcony and elevated gallery. Whilst not optimal, it did work for most scenes, however some clearer signposting of each scene and the scene's location was needed for us to fully understand. Costuming was, on the whole, excellent, but a little more attention to lady's hairstyles of the period would have made it more realistic. Sound levels were good and the lighting was, in general, effective and creative.

Alexandra Townend was a centred, focused, and intelligent Eva /Evita.  With a strong soprano voice and a commanding stage presence, she dominated each scene she was in, and her later scenes when ill were quite touching. Martin Cook was Juan Peron, and he was obviously completely infatuated by and under the spell of Evita, playing his part sympathetically, underplaying much to outline just exactly how much not just he, but also Argentina needed her. Joel Brown was a superb Che. Placing his ironic nastiness just right, his narration and interaction within each scene adding the correct dimension, and vocally he was more than secure too. A very pleasing actor. Iain Mackness deserves praise as he tried hard to show us that hidden somewhere he was the archetypal Latin lover, Magaldi! However it was Ellie Spooner's plaintive and tuneful 'Another Suitcase In Another Hall' as Peron's now-unemployed mistress which was one of the show's highlights. Beautifully acted with a lovely voice. 

With a strong ensemble, and live band this was a rousing and entertaining evening, sensibly and thoughtfully realised. I heard one audience member on her way out say to her friend, "Oooooo, that were amazin' weren't it! They ought t'ha'been professional!" It isn't an easy musical to perform by any standards, and the ovations were justly given; the hard work and commitment shown from all involved paying dividend.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 5.4.22