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entertainment
Don’t cry for me
Evita brings a tear to the eye
By Brian Case
C
urrently playing to packed houses throughout the UK, Evita
stopped off at The Mayflower, Southampton and continues to
wow audiences. The shear brilliance of this production makes
you want to see it again and again, such is the gripping effect of the
musical which immediately captures your attention from the openng
scene to the final curtain.
This version of Evita has to be musical theatre at it’s very best. This
musical really is just that, no words are spoken during the entire length
of the show which comprises of 19 musical scores with iconic songs
that stir the soul including: Don’t Cry for me Argentina, Another
Suitcase in another hall, Rainbow high and Requiem for Evita.
Telling the story of Eve Peron, the wife of the dictator Juan Peron,
Evita takes you on Eve’s journey from her humble beginnings through
to her iconic status. At the height of her popularity she was almost
perceived as a spiritual leader by the Argentinian people.
The show manages to brilliantly portray her character and impresses
on one the ultimate queston: Despite having everything she wanted,
was she really happy? The audience are carried through her quest for
happiness which ultimately results in catastrophe. What she had
hoped would be her ‘conquering’ of Europe turned out to be a
humiliating retreat to her homeland, with the dictatorship of the time
never-the-less attempting to put a brave face on it.
This elaborate production, with great attention to detail, tells the story
in a most emphatic way. The death scene is so emotionally charged
you could have heard a pin drop in the packed theatre, such is the
way this musical mesmerises the entire audience.
The cast is outstanding with Marti Pellow playing Che and Madalena
Alberto playing Eva. The costumes and sets are stunning with the
dance and street scenes easily capturing the mood of post-war
Argentina. The standing ovation at the end of this production was
more than earned by the entire cast.
The UK tour started in autumn 2013 and finishes in May 2014 in
Plymouth. Local to our region, the next performances are in Oxford at
the New Theatre in January and then at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
in May. If you get the chance, it is well making the effort - you’ll be
unlikely to see a show of this calibre outside of London’s West End.
34 Life Begins
Paul Carrack on Tour
Bournemouth Pavilion
To many Paul Carrack
needs no introduction
and judging by the
packed Pavilion he
recently played to in
Bournemouth his fan
base is still as strong as
it ever was. Paul is
currently enjoying a UK/Germany tour which at the time
of writing (November 2013) still has a further 42 dates to
play including 6 Christmas concerts in Germany which
includes the easy to get to cities of Hamburg and Stuttgart.
Paul Carrack does not cut his set short. In all he played for
90 minutes and apart from a few personal short stories, it
was pure live music at its best with his playlist comprising
of many of his original hits both by himself and with Mike
and the Mechanics including “The living Years” and “Eyes
of Blue” through to his recently released new album “Rain
or Shine”. Carrack engages with his audience in a unique
way making them feel a valued part of the gig.
The support for the Bournemouth show was Robert
Vincent, a Liverpool based singer-songwriter. His set was
refreshingly simple and comprised of him walking on
stage with a guitar, saying hello and launching straight into
a medly of songs. Robert Vincent has a unique repertoire
which is a blend of Folk, Rock and Country and it works.
the only thing that would of improved his set would have
been another twenty minutes.
If you missed Paul this time it is not too late as his UK tour
does not end until April 2014. Locally you will find him in
Southampton at The Brook on 29 November, Plymouth on
22 January at the Plymouth Pavilions, at the Octagon
Theatre, Yeovil on 24 January and at The Anvil,
Basingstoke on 5 February.
By Brian Case
www.lifebeginsmagazine.com