Evita (musical)

Evita
Poster from the original West End Production at the Prince Edward Theatre
Music	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics	Tim Rice
Productions	1976 concept album 1978 West End 1979 Broadway 1996 Film 2006 West End revival 2008 UK Tour 2010 UK Tour 2012 Broadway Revival
Awards	Olivier Award for Best New Musical Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Score Tony Award for Best Book

Evita is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita's early life, rise to power, charity work, and eventual death.

Evita began as a rock opera concept album released in 1976. Its success led to productions in London's West End in 1978, and on Broadway a year later, both of which enjoyed considerable success. A major 1996 film of the musical was made, starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas. The musical was revived in London in 2006. Evita has had numerous professional tours and worldwide productions, and numerous cast albums have been recorded.

History

In 1972, Robert Stigwood proposed that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice develop a new musical version of Peter Pan, but they abandoned the project.

The source material for the musical that made Rice intrigued about Eva Peron was a brief radio play he heard whilst driving his car, but more importantly the TV film "Queen of Hearts" by Argentine film director Carlos Pasini Hansen that Thames Television produced and had aired in the UK on the 24th of October 1972.

Tim Rice had missed that showing but an executive of CIC (Cinema International Corporation) in London who was a mutual friend of Rice and Pasini introduced them and Pasini arranged for Tim to see the film at Thames Television which he did "at least twenty times" saying also that "by that time I had seen Pasini's superbly researched film, I was hooked."^[1] Rice then heard a radio play about Eva Duarte de Perón and approached Lloyd Webber with an idea for a musical collaboration based on her life. The more Rice investigated Eva Perón, going so far as to travel to Buenos Aires to research her life, with many documents and contacts that Pasini had supplied, the more fascinated he became by the woman; he even named his first daughter after her. The idea of writing a score including tangos, paso dobles, and similar Latin flavours intrigued Lloyd Webber, but he ultimately rejected the idea. Lloyd Webber decided instead to collaborate with Alan Ayckbourn on Jeeves, a traditional Rodgers and Hart-style musical based on the P.G. Wodehouse character, which proved to be a critical and commercial failure.^[2]

Chastened, Lloyd Webber returned to Rice, and they began developing Rice's proposed musical. The authors of the 1996 book Evita: The Real Life of Eva Perón claim that the musical was based on Mary Main's biography The Woman with the Whip, which was extremely critical of Eva Perón.^[3]

Though Rice praised the Main biography, it was never officially credited as source material. Rice suggested that they create a character known as Che to serve as a narrator and Greek chorus. It was not his intention to base him on Che Guevara, but when Harold Prince later became involved with the project, he insisted that the actors portraying Che use Guevara as a role model.^[4] In the 1996 film adaptation, the character returned to his more anonymous roots. This was also the case for the 2006 London revival.^[5]

As they previously had done with Superstar, the songwriting team decided to record Evita as an album musical and selected actress and singer Julie Covington to sing the title role. Released in 1976, the two-disc set included Paul Jones as Juan Perón, Colm Wilkinson as Che, Barbara Dickson as Perón's mistress, and Tony Christie as Agustín Magaldi. When the project began to take shape, Pasini wrote the dialogue in Spanish of the first scene of the musical "A Cinema in Buenos Aires" for the first recording of the album in which Julie Covington plays Eva. In this recording Pasini plays the part of the actor in the soundtrack of the "1952 movie that grinds to a halt" and also reads the official communique of Eva's death. In the brochure that accompanied the album that dialogue appears translated into English and the first "thanks" are to Carlos Pasini when the recording was first presented to the press in Andrew Lloyd Webber's country home. The visual presentation was organized by Pasini and his colleague Anton Furst using all the photographic material provided by Pasini.

Lloyd Webber and conductor Anthony Bowles presented the musical at the second Sydmonton Festival before making the recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.^[6] Prior to its release, they played it for Harold Prince and invited him to become involved with the eventual staging. Prince agreed, commenting, "Any opera that begins with a funeral can't be all bad", but he advised them that he could not take on any new commitments for the next two years.^[7]

In Britain, Australia, South Africa, South America, and various parts of Europe, sales of the concept album exceeded those of Jesus Christ Superstar; in the United States, however, it never achieved the same level of success. Covington's recording of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (originally titled "It's Only Your Lover Returning")^[8] was released in October 1976. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart^[7] and enjoyed similar success internationally. Dickson's "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" also became a hit. In the U.S. and UK, respectively, Karen Carpenter and Petula Clark released cover versions of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina". In December 1976 Rice wrote to Pasini, then in Rome, telling him of the good reaction of the English public to the album ("already sold 10.000 copies") and saying that he "promised not to accept any film offers without letting you (Pasini) know".

Lloyd Webber and Rice reworked several elements of the musical before producing it for the stage. Some songs were dropped and some shortened, while others were introduced and some lyrics rewritten. The 1976 album and the stage version featured different versions of the dialogue between Eva and Perón during "Dice Are Rolling." The earlier version concluded with "Eva's Sonnet", during which she reaffirms her vice-presidential aspirations. The stage version of "Dice are Rolling" concluded on a shorter version of the sonnet as Eva collapses due to her worsening illness. Additional lyrics were written for the stage version of "Oh, What a Circus".

Lloyd Webber and Rice approached Prince again, and he told them that he would be ready to start rehearsals in early 1978. When he began working on the project in May, he changed very little, other than deleting Che's rock number "The Lady's Got Potential". Prince requested a song he could stage to chart Perón's rise to power, and Rice and Lloyd Webber responded with the musical chairs number "The Art of the Possible", during which military officers are eliminated until only Perón remains.^[9] Inspired by the murals of Diego Rivera, Prince suggested the proscenium be flanked by artwork depicting the struggles of the Argentine peasants. He jettisoned the original monochromatic costumes designed for the chorus members and dancers; instead, he had them go to charity and secondhand clothing shops to purchase costumes.^[10]

Evita opened in London's West End on 21 June 1978, and on Broadway the following year.

Synopsis

Act I

The opening reveals a cinema in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 26 July 1952, where an audience is watching a film ("A Cinema in Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952"). The Spanish dialogue is heard during the film, an announcer interrupts with the message (begun in Spanish, but fading into English) that "Eva Perón entered immortality at 20:25 hours this evening...." The audience is heartbroken, and they sing "Requiem for Evita" (in Latin, which is modeled on a Catholic requiem). Che Guevara, the narrator, cynically assesses the hysterical grief that gripped Argentina when Evita died ("Oh What a Circus").

Che introduces the audience to 15-year-old Eva, in 1934. She has her first love affair with tango singer Agustín Magaldi after she meets him at one of his shows ("On This Night of a Thousand Stars"). Eva blackmails Magaldi into taking her with him to Buenos Aires and though he is initially resistant, he eventually surrenders ("Eva, Beware of the City"). Upon her arrival at the city, Eva sings about her hopes and ambitions of glory as an actress ("Buenos Aires"). She soon dumps Magaldi, and Che relates the story of how Eva sleeps her way up the ladder, becoming a model, radio star, and actress ("Goodnight and Thank You"). He then tells of both a right-wing coup in 1943 and Eva's success, implying that Argentine politics and Eva's career may soon coincide. Che also makes a point to introduce the figure of Colonel Juan Domingo Perón, an ambitious military colonel who was making his way up the Argentine political ladder. ("The Lady's Got Potential"). In a game of musical chairs that represents the rise of political figures Perón and other military figures compete for power and exhibit their political strategy ("The Art Of The Possible").

After a devastating earthquake hits the town of San Juan, Perón organizes a charity concert at the Luna Park to provide aid to the victims. Eva attends and briefly reunites with Agustín Magaldi, who coldly shuns her for her past actions. Perón addresses the crowd with words of encouragement and leaps off the stage, meeting Eva as soon as he exits ("Charity Concert"). Eva and Perón share a secret rendezvous following the charity concert, where Eva hints that she could help Perón rise to power ("I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You"). Eva dismisses Perón's Mistress, (the character is known only by that title), who ponders the rejection ("Another Suitcase in Another Hall").

After moving in with Perón, Eva is introduced to high society, but she is met with disdain from the upper classes and the Argentine Army ("Perón's Latest Flame"). In 1946, Perón launches his presidential bid after being promoted to general in the army, and while in bed with Eva, he discusses his chances at winning the election. Eva reassures him and soon they organize rallies where the people show their support and hope for a better future, while in the sidelines Perón and his allies plot to dispose of anyone who stands in their way ("A New Argentina").

Act II

Perón is elected President in a sweeping victory in 1946. He stands "On The Balcony of the Casa Rosada" addressing his descamisados (shirtless ones). Eva speaks from the balcony of the Presidential palace to her adoring supporters, where she reveals that despite her initial goal of achieving fame and glory, she has found her true calling to be the people of her country ("Don't Cry for Me, Argentina"). Che analyzes the price of fame as Eva dances at the Inaugural Ball with Perón, now Argentina's president-elect ("High Flying, Adored").

Eva insists on a glamorous image in order to impress the people of Argentina and promote Peronism. She prepares to tour in Europe as she is dressed for success by her fashion consultants ("Rainbow High"). Her famous 1946 tour meets with mixed results ("Rainbow Tour"); Spaniards adore her, but the Italians liken her husband to Benito Mussolini, France is unimpressed, and the English snub her by inviting her to a country estate, rather than Buckingham Palace. Eva affirms her disdain for the upper class, while Che asks her to start helping those in need as she promised ("The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like to Hear)"). Eva begins the Eva Perón Foundation to direct her charity work. Che describes Eva's controversial charitable work, and possible money laundering ("And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)").

Eva appears at a church to take the sacrament in front of her adoring supporters ("Santa Evita"), but goes into a trancelike state, beginning to hallucinate. In her vision she and Che heatedly debate her actions; Che accuses Eva of using the Argentine people for her own ends, while Eva cynically replies that there is no glory in trying to solve the world's problems from the sidelines ("A Waltz for Eva and Che"). At the end of the argument, Eva finally admits to herself and Che that she is dying and can't go on for much longer. Afterwards, Eva finally understands that Perón loves her for herself, not just for what she can do for him and his career ("You Must Love Me").

Perón's generals finally get sick of Eva's meddling and demand that Perón force her to leave politics. However, Perón objects and claims that if it wasn't for her they would never have achieved as much as they have ("She Is A Diamond"). However, he also acknowledges she won't be able to keep working for long as she will soon succumb to her cancer. Meanwhile, Eva is determined to run for vice president, much to Perón's fear that they will be overtaken by the military if she runs and that Eva's health is too delicate for any stressful work, but Eva insists she can continue, despite her failing health ("Dice Are Rolling/Eva's Sonnet").

Realising she is close to death, Eva renounces her pursuit of the vice presidency and swears her eternal love to the people of Argentina ("Eva's Final Broadcast"). Eva's achievements flash before her eyes before she dies ("Montage"), and she asks for forgiveness, contemplating her choice of fame instead of long life and raising children ("Lament"). Eva dies, and embalmers preserve her body forever. Che notes that a monument was set to be built for Evita but "only the pedestal was completed, when Evita's body disappeared for 17 years...."

Song list

Act I "A Cinema in Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952" – Crowd° "Requiem for Evita" – Chorus "Oh What a Circus" – Che and Crowd "On This Night of a Thousand Stars" – Magaldi "Eva and Magaldi" / "Eva, Beware of the City" – Eva, Magaldi and Evita's Family "Buenos Aires" – Eva and Crowd "Good Night and Thank You" – Che, Eva, Magaldi and Lovers "The Lady's Got Potential" – Che* "The Art of the Possible" – Perón, Generals and Eva "Charity Concert" – Perón, Che, Magaldi and Eva "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You" – Eva and Perón "Hello and Goodbye" – Eva "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" – Perón's Mistress and Men's Chorus "Peron's Latest Flame" – Che, Aristocrats, Soldiers and Eva "A New Argentina" – Eva, Che, Perón and Crowd

Act II Entr'acte "On The Balcony of the Casa Rosada" – Perón, Che and Crowd "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" – Eva "High Flying Adored" – Che and Eva "Rainbow High" – Eva and Dressers "Rainbow Tour" – Perón, Advisers and Che "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like to Hear)" – Eva, Aristocrats and Che "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)" – Che and Crowd "Santa Evita" – Children and Chorus "A Waltz for Eva and Che" – Eva and Che "You Must Love Me" - Eva "Peron's Latest Flame Playoff" - Soldiers** "She is a Diamond" – Perón** "Dice Are Rolling" / "Eva's Sonnet" – Perón and Eva "Eva's Final Broadcast" – Eva "Montage" – Eva, Che, Perón and Chorus "Lament" – Eva, Embalmers and Che

Notes

• *This song is usually cut from most of the productions and replaced with "The Art of the Possible," but a modified version has appeared in a number of foreign stagings.
• **These two songs are often credited as just "She is a Diamond".
• °Replaced by "Junin, 26 July 1952" for the London revival.
• "You Must Love Me", written for the 1996 film, was added to the 2006 London production and several other post-film productions; its placement varies from right after "Waltz for Eva and Che" to right before "Eva's Final Broadcast."
• See Evita for the song list from the 1976 concept album.

Musical analysis

The musical employs an eclectic range of styles. Classical music in Evita includes the opening choral piece ("Requiem for Evita") and a choral interlude in "Oh What a Circus", as well as instrumental passages throughout the musical such as the orchestral version of the "Lament" and the introduction to "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Rhythmic Latinate styles are heard in pieces such as "Buenos Aires", "And the Money Kept Rolling in (And Out)" and "On This Night of a Thousand Stars", while ballads include "High Flying, Adored" and "Another Suitcase in Another Hall". Rock music includes "Oh What a Circus", "Peron's Latest Flame", and a song cut from the original production called "The Lady's Got Potential". The song was reinstated for the 1996 film with revised lyrics by Rice, and has also been used in Japanese,^[11] Czech,^[12] and Danish^[13] stage productions to expand on Argentine history for audiences less familiar with the subject.

Historical accuracy of the story

Tomas Eloy Martinez mentioned:

Che as well as Evita symbolise certain naïve, but effective, beliefs: the hope for a better world; a life sacrificed on the altar of the disinherited, the humiliated, the poor of the earth. They are myths which somehow reproduce the image of Christ.

—Tomas Eloy Martinez^[14]

Mandy Patinkin as Che in the 1979 Broadway production

The lyrics and storyline of the musical are based on Mary Main's biography, Evita: The Woman with the Whip, which drew heavily upon the accounts of anti-Peronist Argentines. Shortly after the musical appeared, Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro published a more neutral account of Eva Perón's life, titled Evita: The Real Lives of Eva Perón, in which they claim that many of Main's assertions (which had influenced Rice's lyrics) were false, such as the suggestion that Eva had first gone to Buenos Aires as the mistress of a married musician, Agustín Magaldi. Instead, they wrote, Eva's mother Doña Juana had taken her there when she aspired to become a radio actress. Some critics also suggested that Rice's lyrics disparaged Evita's achievements unnecessarily, particularly her charity work. According to Navarro and Fraser, "it [Evita] was based for the most part on the earliest and seamiest versions of Evita's life, something happened to the tale in its retelling and the Evita who emerged each evening, dressed first as a teenager, then a hooker, and finally, in tulle and silver foil, as First Lady, was far from being sympathetic."^[15]

Following the success of the film version of Evita, in 1996, the government of Argentina released its own film biography of Peron, titled Eva Perón: The True Story, asserting that it corrected distortions in the Lloyd Webber account.^[16]

Productions

Original West End production

Evita opened at the Prince Edward Theatre on 21 June 1978 and closed on 8 February 1986, after 2,900 performances.^[17] Elaine Paige played Eva with David Essex as Che and Joss Ackland as Perón.^[18] Paige was selected from among many hopefuls, after Julie Covington declined the role. The production was directed by Harold Prince, choreographed by Larry Fuller, and produced by Robert Stigwood. Paige was succeeded by Marti Webb, Stephanie Lawrence, Siobhán McCarthy (who had played The Mistress when the show opened), Michele Breeze and lastly Kathryn Evans.^[19] Gary Bond replaced David Essex as Che, then Mark Ryan, who had first starred as Magaldi, later assumed the role.

In his review in The Sunday Times, Derek Jewell called the show "quite marvelous" and described Lloyd Webber's "ambitious" score "an unparallelled fusion of 20th century musical experience" and Rice's lyrics as "trenchant" and "witty". Bernard Levin of The Times disliked it, however, calling it as an "odious artefact ... that calls itself an opera ... merely because the clichés between the songs are sung rather than spoken" and "one of the most disagreeable evenings I have ever spent in my life".^[20]

Original Broadway production

Poster for the Broadway production with Patti LuPone in the title role

The show opened at the Broadway Theatre on 25 September 1979 and closed on 26 June 1983, after 1,567 performances and 17 previews. Patti LuPone starred as Eva, with Mandy Patinkin as Che, Bob Gunton as Perón, and Jane Ohringer as Peron's mistress. Harold Prince directed with choreography by Larry Fuller.^[21] During the run, six actresses alternated playing the title role, in addition to LuPone: Terri Klausner, Nancy Opel, Pamela Blake (matinees), Derin Altay, Loni Ackerman and Florence Lacey (evenings).^[22] David Cantor understudied Patinkin and performed as Che.

LuPone has stated about her time in Evita:" 'Evita' was the worst experience of my life,' she said. 'I was screaming my way through a part that could only have been written by a man who hates women. And I had no support from the producers, who wanted a star performance onstage but treated me as an unknown backstage. It was like Beirut, and I fought like a banshee.'"^[23]

Original Madrid production

The musical's Spanish-language version premiered at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid on 23 December 1980, directed by Jaime Azpilicueta and with Paloma San Basilio as Eva, Patxi Andión as Che, Julio Catania as Perón, Tony Landa as Magaldi and Montserrat Vega as Perón's mistress. The song "No llores por mí, Argentina" became a hit single and was interpreted by singers like Nacha Guevara. The Spanish-language production later played in Barcelona and other cities, as well as in Latin American tours.^{[citation needed]}

Touring productions

There have been numerous US and international touring productions of the show:

• 1984, 1986 US tours starring Florence Lacey^[24]

• 1987: UK and Irish tour starring Rebecca Storm and Chris Corcoran.^{[citation needed]}

• 1989: World tour headed by Florence Lacey, James Sbano and Robert Alton.^{[citation needed]}

• 1994: US national tour was produced in anticipation of the film version. The tour lasted over a year and featured several actresses in the title role, including future Tony nominee Marla Schaffel. The touring production was directed and choreographed by Larry Fuller and featured Daniel C. Cooney as Che.^[25]

• 1995: UK tour produced by Robert Stigwood and David Lane and starring Marti Webb, Chris Corcoran and Duncan Smith. Despite some criticism over the casting of Webb at the age of 50, the success of the tour led to extensions throughout 1996.^[26][27][28]

• 1998: The US 20th Anniversary tour featuring a new, yet similar version of Evita to the Original Broadway production, which was originally scheduled to play on Broadway in the 1999–2000 season. The tour started in Detroit on November 3, 1998 and closed in Boston, Massachusetts, in the summer of 1999.^[29] The tour starred Natalie Toro as Eva, with Raul Esparza as Che and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod as Juan Perón.^[30] This production focused more on Latin themes.^[31] According to Playbill, "The Latin casting is part of an effort to instill this production with a more culturally authentic feel."^[29] Toro received excellent reviews, along with her leading men.

• 2004: A US tour began in November 2004 with Kathy Voytko and Bradley Dean, directed by Harold Prince and Larry Fuller.^[32] This production closed in May 2007 but reopened in 2007. It closed finally in June 2008.

• 2008: Another UK tour began in 2008 starring Louise Dearman and later Rachael Wooding, Seamus Cullen (a finalist in the BBC show Any Dream Will Do)^[33] and Mark Heenehan^[34] with James Waud as Magaldi who won the role in a competition, and Nikki Mae as Peron's Mistress. The production closed in late 2009 but reopened in March 2010, touring throughout Europe until April 2011. The production is now touring in the UK and Germany from May to September 2011. The tour currently stars Abigail Jaye as Eva, Mark Powell as Che and Mark Heenehan as Peron.^[35]

2006 London revival

On 2 June 2006, the first major London production of Evita in 25 years opened in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre, directed by Michael Grandage with Argentine actress Elena Roger as Eva, Philip Quast as Perón and Matt Rawle as Che.^[36] Its song list included "You Must Love Me", written for the 1996 film, which had never been part of an English-language stage production. The production opened to rave reviews, but ticket sales were slow, and the production closed on 26 May 2007, after a run of less than 12 months.^[37] Quast and Roger received Olivier Award nominations for their performances in this revival.

2010 Stratford Shakespeare Festival

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival produced Evita as its first rock musical from May 28 to November 6, 2010. The principal characters are played by Chilina Kennedy (Eva), Juan Chioran (Juan), and Josh Young (Che), with direction by Gary Griffin.^[38][39]

2012 Broadway revival

A Broadway revival of the West End production of Evita is planned for Spring 2012 at the Marquis Theatre and Elena Roger is expected to play the title role, with Ricky Martin as Che, Michael Cerveris as Peron, direction by Michael Grandage and choreography by Rob Ashford.^[40][41][42] The show is being produced by Hal Luftig and Scott Sanders, and the confirmed schedule is for rehearsals to begin mid-February 2012^[43] with previews expected to begin in March and an official opening in April.^[44]

2011 Brazilian Production

A second Brazilian Production directed by Jorge Takla premiered at 'Teatro Alfa' in March 26 with Paula Capovilla as Evita, Daniel Boaventura as Perón and Fred Silveira as Che.

Casts

Character	Original London Production	Original Broadway Production	2006 London Revival	2012 Broadway Revival
Eva Perón	Elaine Paige	Patti LuPone	Elena Roger Abbie Osmon (alternate)	Elena Roger
Che	David Essex	Mandy Patinkin	Matt Rawle	Ricky Martin
Perón	Joss Ackland	Bob Gunton	Philip Quast	Michael Cerveris
Perón's Mistress	Siobhán McCarthy	Jane Ohringer	Lorna Want	TBA
Magaldi	Mark Ryan	Mark Syers	Gary Milner	TBA

Paige's replacements included Marti Webb, Stephanie Lawrence, Siobhán McCarthy, Kathryn Evans and Michele Breeze.

Film adaptation

Main article: Evita (film)

Plans for a film developed soon after the West End and Broadway openings. It was to have starred Barbra Streisand or Liza Minnelli as Eva, and Barry Gibb or Elton John as Che, and was to have been directed by Ken Russell.^[45] These plans never came to fruition.

It was not until 1996 that Evita came to the big screen. Alan Parker directed the film, with Madonna in the title role, Antonio Banderas as Che and Jonathan Pryce as Perón. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Original Song ("You Must Love Me," composed especially for the film).

Awards and nominations

Original West End production

Year	Award Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
1978	Laurence Olivier Award	Best New Musical		Nominated
		Best Actress in a Musical	Elaine Paige	Won

Original Broadway production

Year	Award Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
1980	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Musical		Won
		Outstanding Lyrics	Tim Rice	Won
		Outstanding Music	Andrew Lloyd Webber	Won
		Outstanding Actor in a Musical	Mandy Patinkin	Nominated
		Outstanding Actress in a Musical	Patti LuPone	Won
		Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	Bob Gunton	Won
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Harold Prince	Won
		Outstanding Choreography	Larry Fuller	Nominated
		Outstanding Costume Design	Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth	Nominated
		Outstanding Lighting Design		Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Best Lyricist	Tim Rice	Won
	Tony Award	Best Musical		Won
		Best Original Score	Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice	Won
		Best Book of a Musical	Tim Rice	Won
		Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Patti LuPone	Won
		Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	Mandy Patinkin	Won
			Bob Gunton	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Musical	Harold Prince	Won
		Best Lighting Design	David Hersey	Won
		Best Scenic Design	Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth	Nominated
		Best Costume Design		Nominated
		Best Choreography	Larry Fuller	Nominated

2006 West End revival

Year	Award Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
2007	Laurence Olivier Award	Outstanding Musical Production		Won
		Best Actor in a Musical	Philip Quast	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Musical	Elena Roger	Nominated
		Best Theatre Choreographer	Rob Ashford	Nominated

Cultural impact

Evita came in sixth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Number One Essential Musicals".^[46]

One episode of The Simpsons, "The President Wore Pearls", has a plot loosely based on the musical, with Lisa Simpson in Eva's role. The episode includes parodies of songs such as "Don't Vote for Me, Kids of Springfield". At the end of the episode, a comical disclaimer is displayed stating, "On the advice of our lawyers, we swear we have never heard of a musical based on the life of Eva Perón".

During Glee, "Special Education", the characters Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry sing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" when Kurt is auditioning for a solo in the Warblers for Regionals.

Recordings

Cover of Original Broadway Recording

At least 25 English language cast albums have been released, along with many foreign language recordings. There are currently four in Spanish, five German, three in Japanese, and two in Hebrew, with additional recordings in Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Icelandic, Korean, Portuguese, and Swedish.^[47]

• 1976 concept album - Complete score (first draft)
• 1978 London cast - Highlights edition only
• 1979 Broadway cast - Complete score (final draft)
• 1996 film soundtrack - Highlights edition only
• 2006 London cast - Highlights edition only

Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa recorded a complete operatic version of the score with Christopher Lee as Peron. This recording, however, has never been released.

Notes

1. ^ Citron, pp.192-193
2. ^ Citron, pp.191-97
3. ^ Fraser and Navarro, p. 199
4. ^ Citron, p. 223
5. ^ Programme notes, 2006 London production
6. ^ Citron, p. 229
7. ^ ^{a b} Citron, p. 230
8. ^ Citron, p. 226
9. ^ Citron, p. 231
10. ^ Citron, pp. 231-32
11. ^ "Japanese version, 1982, Recorded live at the Nissei Theater" CastAlbums.org, accessed August 26, 2011
12. ^ "Czech version, 1998" CastAlbums.org, accessed August 26, 2011
13. ^ "Danish version, 2001" CastAlbums.org, accessed August 26, 2011
14. ^ Martinez, Tomas Eloy."Evita Or Madonna: Whom Will History Remember?, Interview" LasMujeres.com, Retrieved 13 June 2006
15. ^ Fraser and Navarro, p.193
16. ^ Eva Peron, 1996 Argentine film biography of Eva Peron Amazon.com, accessed August 26, 2011
17. ^ Evita at Prince Edward Theatre thisistheatre.com, retrieved 17 March 2010.
18. ^ Citron, p. 232.
19. ^ Inverne, J. "Jack Tinker: A Life in Review", p. 21, Oberon, 1997.
20. ^ Citron, pp. 232-33.
21. ^ "'Evita' listing, 1979-1983" InternetBroadwayDatabase.com, accessed August 26, 2011
22. ^ Green, Stanley and Green, Kay. Broadway Musicals, Show By Show. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1996, ISBN 0-7935-7750-0, p. 254.
23. ^ Green, Jesse. "Let Her Entertain You. Please" The New York Times, July 8, 2007
24. ^ Christon, Lawrence. "Five Years Later, Lacey Ponders Life After 'Evita'" Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1986
25. ^ Harvey, Alec. "This Touring "Evita Boasts Top-Notch Troupe", Birmingham News (Alabama), 23 January 1994, p. 101.
26. ^ "Musical Fans Snap Up Seats For Evita" (Darlington Civic Theatre, May 1996), The Northern Echo, 30 November 1995.
27. ^ Bruce, Keith. "Evita, Playhouse, Edinburgh", The Herald (Glasgow), 27 April 1995, p. 17.
28. ^ Coveney, Michael. "Evita: If you can't wait for the film, a big national tour of classic 1978 Rice/Lloyd Webber musical, led by Marti Webb", The Observer, 19 March 1995, p. 14.
29. ^ ^{a b} Ehren, Christine and Simonson, Robert. "Bway-Bound Evita Tour Stops at the Ohio in Columbus March 23-28" Playbill.com, March 23, 1999
30. ^ "Tour listing" Broadwayworld.com, accessed 6 March 2009.
31. ^ "Evita tour listing" TimRice.co, accessed 6 March 2009.
32. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Rainbow Tour: Kathy Voytko Is 'Evita' in New Prince-ly Road Company, Taking Off Nov. 2" Playbill.com, November 2, 2004
33. ^ Lathan, Peter. "Review-Evita at Theatre Royal, Newcastle" BritishTheatreGuide.info, circa July 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2011
34. ^ High, Chris. "Review-'Evita' tour, Liverpool Empire Theatre" WhatsOnStage.com, 29 May 2008
35. ^ "Cast list 2011" Official Website, Bill Kenwright Ltd, accessed 28 May 2011.
36. ^ "Cast list, 2006", ReallyUseful.com, retrieved 24 February 2010.
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47. ^ [1] subtitles.o2.cz^{[dead link]}

References

• Citron, Stephen, Sondheim & Lloyd-Webber: The New Musical (2001). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509601-0
• Fraser, Nicholas, and Navarro, Marysa. Evita: The Real Life of Eva Perón (1996). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31575-4

External links

• Evita at the Internet Broadway Database
• Evita at Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group
• 'Powerful' Production of Evita Plymouth Herald, 27 May 2009
• (German) Evita musical