“Evita”

Highly Recommended ***** It has been a long time since I have seen a production of one of my favorite musicals, “Evita” the biography of Eva Peron, put to music by the fabulous Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber ( now known as SIR) who truly opened a new genre of musical theater for the World! This masterpiece was originally directed by Harold Prince and it is a play that I have seen a dozen times, always falling in love with the story and the presentation. As I said, it has been awhile and as we took our seats at Drury Lane Theatre in  Oakbrook, admiring the beautiful set designed by Kristen Martino and waiting for the movie scene to open the play. What a surprise! Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge has changed the opening. Yes, we learn that Eva Peron has passed away allowing us to retrace her life and how she went from “Showgirl”( if one can call her that) to Vice President of Argentina.

Instead our show opened with a  dance club where people of all types were dancing with each other. Men with women, Women with women and men with men. Radios were playing the music and all of a sudden the announcement was made. rather than stop the movie, our cast stopped the wonderful dancing ( choreographed brilliantly by Ms Dodge). We also did not have them gather around a coffin to pay homage to their “Saint”, but they surrounded her and she became the statue representing the look of her “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” number. What a powerful way to introduce her to an audience who may not have seen the original or even the movie version. In the Drury lane sensational production the role is done by Michelle Aravena ( we have seen her before on this Oakbrook stage and she is one great talent).

All of the hubbub of her death is then taken over by  Che ( brilliantly played by Richard Bermudez who is amazing) representing the “people”. Over the years, I have seen many solid actors do this role including Mandy Ptankin, and I must tell you, I see a “Jeff” nomination for sure, and possibly the win. It would be worth the price of a ticket and the ride to Oakbrook just to see how Bermudez handles this role. The other major role in this musical play is that of Juan Peron (deftly handled by  Sean Maclaughlin). To be honest, these characters are the ones that the story revolves around. yes, there are some other characters of note. Magaldi, the singer that starts Evita’s journey to Argentina is played by Paul Aguirre who also plays several other roles and is a member of a solid ensemble.

This entire piece is to me an ensemble performance special. Yes, the three major roles in this cast are above what one might expect in regional theater, but I must say, the ensemble shines like none other. Brian Bandura, Collin Bradley, Jenna Coker-Jones, Clayton Cross, Keila Hamad-Ramos, Michelle Lauto, Ivory Leonard, William Marquez, Jessica Mirit-Garcia,Martin Ortiz-Tapia, Emily Ramirez, Gray Randolph, Joseph Pablo Szabo, Shanna Vanderwerker, Arik Vega , Nicole Volpe and Cory Goodrich who also adds to the music with her playing the accordion ( she is terrific) are the adults and then we have the children; they have their own ensemble and are adorable. The fist one that I have to mention is Nina Poulimas as young Eva. She is precious and has a smile that will just take your breathe away.  Once again Dodge uses our hearts and souls to make the story even stronger. The other children who are all ones you want to hug are: Benny Knoepp, Levi Merlo, Aaliyah Montana, Peyton Wilson and Presley Rose Jones.

This is a production that uses more dance than one might expect in “Evita” and  the creativity of Jones shows through again in the scene for “The Art of the Impossible” which has always been rocking chairs, odd man out. She has added drums and as the officers bang them, little by little they are eliminated, leaving Juan Peron as the leader ( winner). This , like many other small changes made this production one that i could see many times over. I am sure I missed some other changes from her wonderful mind, and I would love to make sure I see them all. The Drury Lane Orchestra is conducted by Christopher Sargen and they are also up to a higher standard. Again, I loved the additional sounds of the accordion and Ms Goodrich never overshadowed the action. She is a true artist.

The tech side of the production is also perfect. Costumes by Ryan Park are amazingly done and in the “Rainbow Tour” the fast change creations are mind boggling. Cassy Shillo’s props, Yael Lubstsky’s lights, Ray Nardelli’s sound, hair and wigs (Emily Young and Brittany Crinson) and electronic music (Ethan Deppe) all added to the perfection that the Desantis family has brought to their stage.

“Evita” will continue thru March 20th with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  1:30 p.m.

Thursdays  1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 8 p.m

Sundays 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tickets range from $59 and are available at the box office  100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook, by calling 630-530-0111 or online at www.DruryLaneTheatre.com

Seniors- $5 discount

Free parking

The bar and partial dining menu are available but no drinks or food in the theater. Masks must be worn throughout the play.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Evita”.