The musical story of ‘Evita’ stands the test of time

By Rich Fahey

WALTHAM — When you write a large number of musicals – many of them long-running mega-hits – it may take decades to determine which one of “your children” you love the most.

Tim Rice and Amdrew Lloyd Webber created “Evita” as a concept album in 1976 before bringing it to the London stage in 1978. A movie version in 1996 got mixed reviews, but Lloyd Webber praised a recent London revival and has long regarded “Evita”   as one of his favorite works, along with “Phantom of the Opera” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

The story of Eva Duarte de Perón’s rise to power alongside Juan Peron   has consistently found its way onto local theater schedules, most notably a new production by the American Repertory Theater in 2023.

The Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston is the latest to revive “Evita,” and why not?   The tangos are right in the wheelhouse of acclaimed director/choreographer Rachel Bertone, and it is yet one another excellent effort by RMT‘s artistic director and her capable cast and designers.

This “Evita” is at turns powerful and poignant, as the poor’s dreams of better lives eventually crumble. Her funeral after her death at the age of 33 in 1952 and the throngs who turned out to mourn her (“Requiem”) open the production, and the narrative quickly turns to her early years as part of a large, struggling family in the rural town of Junin.

She moves from her rural home to Buenos Aires at 15 with a young musician and forges a career as an actress before hooking on to the rising star of Juan Peron.

Isabella Bria Lopez, who was the standby for the roles of both Eva and Mistress and appeared in both productions of “Evita” directed by Sammi Carnold at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and the A.R.T., has taken on the iconic role of Eva Duarte, and she is a force of nature from the opening moments.

But “Evita” takes two to tango, there is another voice that wants to be heard.  That is the character of Che (Eddie Noel Rodriguez), loosely based on the Argentinian-born  revolutionary Che Guevera. He is the narrator and a one-man Greek chorus.

He shines as the gritty, cynical, sarcastic observer of what is going on, especially behind the scenes as the Perons first rise to power and then move to consolidate that power – brutally, as Che will note and feel.

The role of Argentinian strongman Juan Peron is largely a thankless one, but Ryan Mardesich authors a dashing, strong, canny politician who is ruthless when he has to be.

There are also two other very strong supporting turns. Ricardo “Ricky” Holguin, fresh off acclaimed performances in “Alba” and “The Hombres,” knocks it out of the park as the silken-voiced Argentinian crooner Augustin Magaldi, the tango singer who “befriends” Eva early on only to join an ever-growing pile of discards Eva climbs over on the way to becoming First Lady.

Another victim of Eva’s ambition is the Mistress (Rebekah Rae Robles), who finds herself displaced by Eva in Peron’s bedroom, and explores her fate in the lovely “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.”

As the Perons remove their enemies and gain absolute power, corruption soon follows. Eva was never liked or trusted by the upper class, the cognoscenti or the army. Hers were the poor, of which she was a card-carrying member – or claimed to be, even after she grew rich and famous. Narrator Che was one of many to question where the donations to her foundation were going. (“And the Money Kept Rolling In.” )

Kudos to conductor and music director Dan Rodriguez, associate music director Mindy Cimini and their 19-piece orchestra for giving full voice to one of Rice and Lloyd Webber’s best scores, backing the many production numbers that explode onto the stage of the Robinson Theater. Bertone has assembled a skilled ensemble that shines in the minor parts, and special mention to a poised 10-year-old, Emily Fortunato.

The construction of “Evita” – sung through with no dialogue – means every song tells a story and then some, so everything we know about a character comes from the song or Che’s asides to us.

As a result, several of the musical numbers are simply devices moving the story forward. But when the score is allowed to focus on the moment, there are some truly lovely, magical numbers, and I’m not necessarily talking about “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina,” the score’s best-known tune but not necessarily one of its best.  That would probably be the ballad “High Flying, Adored,”

When legends die young – think James Dean, JFK, Marilyn Monroe —  they leave behind an unfinished story, a half-finished portrait of what might have been. That was the attraction a young Tim Rice felt when he encountered the story of Eva Peron, and the one we still feel today. Reagle and Bertone and company do a fine job of reminding us why so many cared then, and why so many still do.

The Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston production of “Evita.” Music by Tim Rice, lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Directed and choreographed by Rachel Bertone. Scenic design by Cameron McEachearn.  Costume and wig design by Ellie De Lucia. Lighting and projection design by Baron Hugh. Sound design by Sebastian Nixon At the Robinson Theater through July 20. Reaglemusictheatre.org