Evita

We enjoyed a really nice evening out at the Woking Theatre last night; the hit musical ‘Evita’ is currently doing a UK Tour and Shirley managed to get in quick a few weeks ago and got us nice seats in the Royal Circle – despite the long walk from the car park on crutches, she managed to get to our second row seats ok!

It was a GREAT show and very memorable too so if it comes your way – go see it!

So for those who haven’t seen the show or don’t know who ‘Evita’ was, here’s the background!

THE SHOW

Evita was the last collaboration between composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, who originally developed the show as a concept recording (as they had done previously with Jesus Christ Superstar). The album was released in the UK in 1976 and went straight to the top of the British charts. The recording's success spurred Robert Stigwood to produce Evita for the London stage, featuring Elaine Paige in the title role. The show opened at the Prince Edward Theatre on 21 June 1978, and it became one of the greatest musical theatre hits ever seen in London. By the time it closed, Evita had played 2,900 performances in the West End, and the Broadway production of the musical walked off with seven Tony Awards at the end of its first season in New York.

THE STORY

The story of Evita follows the life of María Eva Duarte, the second and most famous wife of Argentina's President, General Juan Domingo Perón, and one of Latin America's best-known women. It begins in 1934 and follows the young girl from her small hometown to Buenos Aires where she uses her feminine powers to climb the ladder of success, first as a model, then an actress, and finally as a charismatic political figure. When Perón is elected president, Eva becomes the most powerful woman in South America. Another key figure of the story is Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, a real-life Argentinean revolutionary, at times a narrator, at times an observer, at times simply a device that enables the authors to place Eva in a situation where she is confronted with lucid personal criticism.

JUAN DOMINGO PERÓN (1895 - 1974)

…was an Army colonel, former President of Argentina (1946-55, 1973-74), founder and leader of the Peronist movement.

Juan Perón started out his career by joining the army at the age of 18. Over the following 30 years he held a number of military and government posts. As secretary of labour and social welfare, and later as minister of war and vice President, Perón showed strong support for the labour unions and social reform. This won him the allegiance of Argentine workers, who became the backbone of his support.

In 1945 Perón was imprisoned by political opponents, but his popular political position and the efforts of his second wife María Eva Duarte, popularly known as Evita, got him out of prison.

In 1946 he was elected President. He instituted massive social reform, but was ruthless in suppressing all opposition and Perón's Argentina rapidly became a dictatorship. With the aid of Evita he converted trade unions into a militant organization, known as the descamisados [shirtless ones], along fascist lines.

Shortly after the death of Evita, Perón was ousted from office by a military coup and was then exiled in General Franco's Spain for 10 years. He was allowed to come back to Argentina in 1972 and re-elected as President in 1973. Perón died a short 9 months into his second term as President.

……….are you wiser now? I’m a veritable MINE of information today!