Tim Rice & ALW's EVITA

SenorSwanky wrote:I imagine Bradley Dean is one of the Che understudies since he performed the role on tour.

Strangely, he's not. It's Max von Essen. I guess Grandage decided he didn't want want Bradley Dean reprising Hal's version of Che. Dean has ended up as Cerveris' understudy.

There're two understudies for each lead role, per Equity rules. I would think Brad Little is also a Peron understudy.

SenorSwanky wrote:There're two understudies for each lead role, per Equity rules. I would think Brad Little is also a Peron understudy.

The second understudy is Daniel Torres, who's in the ensemble. Dean is the understudy for Perón only. You're right about Little being the other Perón understudy.

Words can't express how excited I am about this production, opening in Oslo this autumn. A kick-ass Evita, a fantastic Che, an equally fantastic Magaldi, and such an intriguing choreographer. I bounced of joy when passing the theatre earlier today.

I hope they keep the more Latin flair from the West End and Broadway revival, but whatever the case they can't go wrong with those leads. It'll be epic. Epic, I say!

The otherwise beautiful "You must love me" from the movie (which I was happy to see being added to the stage version, mind you) is forever marred by the uncanny similarity to the title song of "Love Never Dies", though... Sing after me: "Where do we go from here... Love never falters..."

http://www.detnorsketeatret.no/index.php?option=com_play&view=play&playid=358

operafantomet wrote:

Words can't express how excited I am about this production, opening in Oslo this autumn. A kick-ass Evita, a fantastic Che, an equally fantastic Magaldi, and such an intriguing choreographer. I bounced of joy when passing the theatre earlier today.

I hope they keep the more Latin flair from the West End and Broadway revival, but whatever the case they can't go wrong with those leads. It'll be epic. Epic, I say!

The otherwise beautiful "You must love me" from the movie (which I was happy to see being added to the stage version, mind you) is forever marred by the uncanny similarity to the title song of "Love Never Dies", though... Sing after me: "Where do we go from here... Love never falters..."

http://www.detnorsketeatret.no/index.php?option=com_play&view=play&playid=358

Cool! I want pics when it opens. Who's the director? Will they base it on the Prince version?

Scorp wrote:Cool! I want pics when it opens. Who's the director? Will they base it on the Prince version?

Frequently trying to ask about more details on their official FB site, but I get the feeling the mods there don't really know Evita all that well... I assume it's all in-house crew, people in permanent employment there. It's the same theatre who did the original Norwegian Les Mis, Cats and Sweeney Todd, as well as great productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Next to Normal and a couple of others. They almost always get it right, I guess that's the main reason for why I'm so thrilled. That, plus the two leads.

The brand new cast recording was officially released today. You can actually stream all the tracks for free on http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/2 if you're curious as to how it sounds.

I haven't listened to all of it yet, but I do have a few quibbles with it. Some of the tracks are identical to what was sent to the Tony voters last month, which is unfortunate because I was hoping they would be polished/refined. There are a few places where the leads crack in their vocals and no attempt has been made to fix this. Likewise in 'You Must Love Me', there's a strange noise which should have been edited out that wasn't. My main beef with this recording is that the orchestra sounds very tin(n)y -- compare, for instance, 'Buenos Aires' on the 2006 London album and this new recording and you'll see instantly what I mean; a lot of the beautiful new orchestration has been watered down and replaced with weird electronic synth. I don't think much of RUG but one thing's clear: they are extremely good at getting decent a rich, orchestral sound on their recordings, thanks no doubt to ALW being particularly fussy in that area (the 2006 album was even delayed because ALW insisted the orchestra laid down the instrumentals all over again, as he didn't like the first take). I couldn't quite work out when I saw the show at the Marquis whether the orchestra was smaller than it was at the Adelphi, but it wouldn't surprise me. Here though the orchestra is definitely considerably reduced compared to the 2006 album. And for some strange reason it sounds very muffled. Maybe it will sound better when my CD copy arrives and I play that? There's definitely a vibe of this being recorded in a small studio, which I didn't get from the 2006 recording. And inexplicably (and very regrettably), the beautiful, haunting choir in the 'Lament' is missing, even though this still exists in the actual production.

Apparently to compensate for the substandard orchestra, the tempi of all the songs is considerably faster. This is in part a reflection of the fact that the score is played much faster on Broadway and the fact that the London album was in places far too slow, especially compared to what happened live. But while it suits some songs like 'Buenos Aires' and 'A New Argentina', others like 'Don't Cry For Me' and the 'Lament' sound a bit rushed.

Elena Roger and Michael Cerveris, and especially Rachel Potter, are all great (although I prefer Elena on the 2006 album; her voice seems to have thinned out on Broadway -- I didn't notice this live on Broadway, but I do notice it on the recording), but Ricky Martin delivers some cringeworthy moments when he doesn't sing, such as his speeches in 'Buenos Aires'. At least live you could ignore his non-existent acting by focusing on the visuals, but sadly you can't do that with the recording. His many fans, who I suppose are the ones keeping this show alive at the box office, seem to love him though. But Martin is the main culprit for the show's lack of bite in this incarnation; it all sounds very happy and the threatening air of corruption has evaporated.

Nonetheless I'm very glad this production finally got a full recording. I just don't think it lives up to the actual show. It seems these days we either get a great orchestra but a highlights-only CD (such as the 2006 recording), or a full recording but many shortcuts (as with the new recording). Is this because of how expensive it is to produce these recordings? Shame.

That AOL link doesn't work. I'll probably buy the CD anyway.

SenorSwanky wrote:That AOL link doesn't work. I'll probably buy the CD anyway.

Oops! Try here: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/2

Whatever happened to Lady's Got Potential? It was in the original concept album and in the movie, but has never been performed on stage? It's one of my favorite songs written for the show, especially how it's orchestrated and staged in the film.

SenorSwanky wrote:Whatever happened to Lady's Got Potential? It was in the original concept album and in the movie, but has never been performed on stage? It's one of my favorite songs written for the show, especially how it's orchestrated and staged in the film.

It's never been part of the standard stage version (sometimes the odd production will do it - they do it in Japan, for instance). Hal Prince cut it and asked for a new number to be written to convey the rise of Perón. The result was 'The Art of the Possible'. A tiny fragment of that song is pointlessly in the film and given to Che.

I like 'The Lady's Got Potential', but I completely agree with Hal that it does not work on stage. The productions I know of that have staged the song fail to convince me it works on stage. It is 100% exposition, no action, nothing. All of it is exposition reporting off stage action. It works on the concept album and on the film, which was shot like a music video, but on stage it would not be theatrical or dramatic to have Che just narrate a load of events to the audience. Plus it's not a good idea to overload the audience with that amount of information contained in the song (Eva as actress, Perón's first wife, the earthquake in San Juan, the organisation of the charity concert, the rise and fall of governments), particularly since it's a rock number and lyrics are bound to get lost in the theatre.

'The Art of the Possible' is more dramatic/theatrical as you actually get to SEE the various would-be leaders competing for the top job and backstabbing each other to get it. Hal Prince's staging was also ingenious -- was staged as a game of musical chairs. In the Michael Grandage revival, it's now performed as a kind of lethal tango.

Yeah, I can see that. I love the musical chairs staging. The production I saw last year replicated that, as most productions of the show do. The tango sounds interesting.

The recording was a hit and miss with me. Ricky just... oh god, does he slay me with his delivery. I will never forget his performance. It will stay with me forever. (And that's not in a good way.) I'll never understand why he was climbing drainpipes.

ML6 wrote:I'll never understand why he was climbing drainpipes.

Huh?

Ordered the CD. Should be here in a few days.

SenorSwanky wrote:

ML6 wrote:I'll never understand why he was climbing drainpipes.

Huh?

Think ML6 is talking about a bit in 'Oh What A Circus' in the revival. He climbs up a ladder on the side for a bit.

Scorp wrote:

SenorSwanky wrote:

ML6 wrote:I'll never understand why he was climbing drainpipes.

Huh?

Think ML6 is talking about a bit in 'Oh What A Circus' in the revival. He climbs up a ladder on the side for a bit.

It didn't look like a ladder. It looked like a drain-pipe. He climbs it, sings a bit, then comes down and pouts against a wall. It made no sense.

I heard the CD yesterday and I like it. I have also the album from 2006. I like both.
Evita is one of the best musicals from A.L. Webber.

SweetChristine wrote:I heard the CD yesterday and I like it. I have also the album from 2006. I like both.
Evita is one of the best musicals from A.L. Webber.

It definitely is. Score-wise, I like it better than Phantom. Very much looking forward to a brand new, complete cast recording!

So far I've listened to the first act, and I'm really digging it. The tempo is still far too slow for my taste, and I have quibbles with a few other things, but overall, I think it's a preferable recording to the London one, not just for its completeness. I also think Rogers' voice is just fine. In a few places, it sounds almost like they just reused the London vocal track for her. I do much prefer Quast to Cerveris, who I've never been a fan of; I wish we had a complete recording with Quast, who may be the best Peron ever. But I like Martin's voice far better than Rawle's. I do think Martin lacks an edge in places, and I dislike his Americanized accent (which is bizarre, considering Rogers' natural accent and Cerveris' rather ridiculous adopted accent). But Rawle's voice was too screechy and nasally for my taste, and his edginess/cynicism was over-the-top.

Michael Riedel claims the producers are looking at Enrique Iglesias and Antonio Banderas to replace Ricky Martin. I completely agree with Riedel that Martin doesn't get the role and smiles way too often, and it's clear from Martin's interviews that he doesn't understand the character at all. His Che has zero bite. Oh well, at least he gets the money rolling in. Sad times though that Broadway has to resort to stunt casting to keep a show like this alive. Antonio can at least do the role very well, but methinks he's a bit too old for it now...

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/don_cry_for_ricky_martin_SXYzAZBQEYf5wWkDClqnbI

I didn't realize Anthony had been in Capeman. He'd make the most sense to me at this point, though I'd love to see Antonio on stage.

So I stumbled across the Oslo Evita production downtown doing some taping for the funeral and balcony scene. In beautiful costumes and all. Apparently there's a six-page-spread in a newspaper this weekend showing the making of the costumes and production look. Looking forward to that!

Anyone heard about casting for the US tour?

SenorSwanky wrote:Anyone heard about casting for the US tour?

No idea...

The Broadway production closes tonight. I wonder whether Mr Martin helped it to recoup or whether it fell short. It's a pity the show didn't get the same critical reception it did in London, but I'm glad it transferred. Hope people here got to see it.

I knew it was closing, but forgot it was the same night as the Phantom anniversary.

Saw the tour Sunday afternoon, and it was the best production of a musical I've seen in quite awhile.  Very fresh, energetic cast with tons of vocal and acting talent.  Josh Young is a phenomenal Che, putting Ricky Martin to shame (not that that says a lot).  The richness and range of his voice surprised me, as I wasn't impressed with what I saw of his Judas. (I'd love to see him as the Phantom someday, as I would Sean MacLaughlin.) He also very clearly enunciated the lyrics, and had that smarmy cynicism Martin lacked without being over-the-top, given this production isn't as cartoonish as the Hal Prince version. Sean and Caroline Bowman are very good in their roles as well.  Loved the staging, lighting, and choreography, and the sound mix was much better than when I saw Phantom at the same venue in 2009. The orchestra is sparse, but the heavy use of keyboards didn't make it any less lush. I'd highly recommend checking out the tour when it comes to you.

Last year we had a Swedish production of Evita and since they had quite a short run but the show was a great success they have decided to run it again. The premiere will be in September. Charlotte Perrelli will reprise her role as Evita. I never saw it in the last run because I'm not a big fan of Perrelli but I love Evita and I'm considering to go and see it this time if I can get tickets.

A guy called Ronny Danielsson is directing, he had a great success when directing the Swedish production of Jesus Christ Superstar.