The Creation of 'Evita'

I got to see the 2023 production in DC a few months ago and was ultimately disappointed. the cast was stellar! However, it's clear to me that Rice and Webber aren't really equipped to tell a story about a Latin American woman. I left the theatre frustrated at how little I'd learned about Peron. I think the show could use a rewrite, perhaps by an Argentinan woman!

Thank you for your honesty concerning Madonna's portrayal of Eva. Everyone I know loves it, but they hadn't heard the other iterations and productions. They hadn't heard Julie Covington or Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone, so they had never heard Lloyd Webber's score as it was originally intended. Anyone familiar with the previous incarnations of Eva knows how challenging the score is and how it had to be dummied down to fit Madonna's range. You cited how the score had to be modulated down to fit her voice, but it was also slowed down a bit, in my opinion slowing down the whole of the story, the whole of the film. Not saying Madonna was horrible, but it's obvious the 1996 film was entirely a Madonna vehicle. No one was going to toss her aside for the sake of an actress whose range better fit the score.

So thank you for that. I thought I was the only one of my generation who saw that, or at least the only one without a pedigree in musical theatre.

EVITA🌹🇦🇷

As a 50 year friend of Ms. Klausner and having seeing both she and Ms. Lupone in the role of Eva, I suggest you pose the following question to Ms Lupone: why did you slap Ms. Klausner across the face backstage one night for having the nerve to receive a good notice?

Hi, antiperonist argentinian here. Thank you for your excellent and respectful analysis. As many other argentinians, I've had a complicated relationship with the musical -separating the art from the people that inspired it isn't easy, and Evita remains a controversial figure here. Your video was very informative and well made. Thank you for sharing it!

@Staged Right I actually learned Don't Cry for me Argentina off an Olivia Newton John album on MCA. Interesting. I'll always love her version than Patty.

Very interesting. Very in depth and informative. Thanks for creating.

A great video. However it is a great pity the London 2019 reimagining by Jamie Lloyd is not referred to. A more radical take on the show than the Cannold version

I fail to understand why you think "Don't cry for me Argentina" should have been misunderstood? If you have seen the show on stage, you can't have any doubts unless your're dim

Brings me nothing new. Common knowledge spiced with youcondescending view of some of these talented people

Lady Gaga should play Evita.

I knew Miss Lapone because my very dear friend and former roommate while living in NYC back in the 90's was a dresser and wardrobe supervisor on several of Miss Lapone shows, the last was Noices Off which I saw and assume didn't like because I remember nothing about it. Miss Lapone and my dear friend worked at the Broadway Cares charities together and so they knew each other well and I was in the company of Miss Lupone several tjmes. A couple years later she came to my home town Buffalo NY to perform with the Buffalo Philharmonic in one of her supposed favorite concert venues Kleinhans Music Hall. My Lupone obsessed gay friends dragged me to see her and had to since they paid for my ticket. After waking me up when the concert was over they stalked the back stage door for her to emerge. She of course talked to everyone which is something a lot of stars of her caliber don't do. I approached her with the thought she'd immediately recognize me and throw me a hug. But she didn't. "Who?" I reminded her after a couple of names I threw her and situations as a reminder and she barely remembered. She looked at me with a blank stare. Now I'm someone they Elaine Stritch remembererd 2 years after meeting her so the Lupone snub was unforgivable! Lol

I'm spanish and I saw EVITA by Patti Lupone in New York in 1979. I was there on holidays with my parents that night it was my 16 birthday. I will never forget it. Thank you Pa, Ma and Patti. I still have the ShowBill. Next day we went to the Manhattan Theater Club to see Nacha Guevara!!!! OMG!!!! both shows changed my life

MMmm 2nd thing: the film by Esther Goris is sooo accurate with the actual Evita. The musical not, the Madonna film is more accurate with the real Evita. In USA and England there are som cliches about latin world that are tremendous! E.G. in the original Evita the song of Magaldi is a bolero a kind of song from Cuba and his costume is caribean, nothing to do with Argentina, only after the Spain EVITA that song was performed as an argentine milonga. In the musical Candide performed by Patti Lupone, the cast has to flee from East Europe to Spain and they sing "I am easily assimilated" it is suppossed they pretend being spaniards but the director of the performance dresses them in mexican costumes. So for Anglo-saxon people it seems that Cuba Argentina Mexico and Spain are the same thing, and no. NO no no, we talk so different and our traditional costumes and music are soooooo different. I met once Lony Ackerman in CATS in New York and she told me that for preparing her role of Evita for New York she received a lot of EVITA worldwide discs in many languages and she chose the spanish one for giving shape to her role.

Evita is maybe one of my favorite musicals, probably for all of the reasons you highlighted in the last chapter of your video. There's something about the woman that compels us even as the woman herself eludes understanding - which can be read as a glorification as much as it can be a reflection of our own selves. Also, I feel that the exciting, engaging music of the book that can sweep an audience right past the action reflects a very 20th century sense of fascism/dictatorships as an emotional state of being - shades of "Triumph of the Will".

✨

I wish you had mentioned the recent Evita production that was boycotted as the director refused to cast Latino actors in the roles. Because of that boycott a lot of Evita productions (including the 2019 one you mentioned) have finally cast Latino actors in the roles to avoid bad publicity.
Evita is the only musical with an Argentine/Hispanic woman at the center. The late 90s revival (which wanted to cash in on the Latin-English crossover of the 90s) that unfortunately failed to make it to Broadway was the first production to see Evita as a Latin American show with Latin American people rather than by 2 UK men. And a bunch of people still call that production a masterpiece!
Elena Roger faced a lot of flack because of her accent even though that’s literally what Eva would’ve sounded like. It was also nice to finally not have a gringa who couldn’t pronounce “Buenos Aires” correctly.

I’ve seen Evita at least 5 times in various cities with different productions. Great documentary about how the show came to be. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I love Madonna, but I prefer my Eva more like Patti. She's like a snake unhinging her jaws the way she ATTACKS that music. Like all of Lloyd Webber's work, I feel it always works better for me when camp is allowed in and Patti snarling and barking through the role (not to mention Mandy yowling like a feral tom cat for 2 hours) serves the material more than the visually gorgeous but flat film did. I think I've watched Patti's Mike Douglas Rainbow High and the New Argentina Tonys performance more than I can count and I scream in gay every time.

What I want to know is if they’ll do a musical about the shenanigans that went on over her corpse for 2 decades 😳😬🤣

Than you Max for this promotion of Argentina and EVITA,for millons our emblematic national hero,.you had made another show with this "back stage"..Evita and our Elena Roger for ever!

The show was written where they knew little about Eva.
It's easy to look back and critise it.
At the end of the day it's a musical inspired by something
It's a great show xxx

I’m a fan of your analysis and the care you take to develop your posts. Thank you

This entirely missed a little nuance about Evita's album launch in 1976 and the London opening in June 1978 - the fact that this was also the time of the FIFA Football World Cup (soccer) being held in Argentina.

When the album/single were released in Nov 1976 the qualification competitions were already under way. Thus there was a real interest about Argentina being built up within the British public.

The show's opening in June 1978 was in the middle of the World Cup down in Argentina, which ran from 1st - 15th June.

I don't know if this juxtaposition was deliberate or pure serendipity, being a total cynic I am inclined to lean toward the former - though I am entirely without anything other than a reliance upon my own gut call here.

Love Mark. Met him a few years ago. Such a sweet man

Many thanks for this interesting and in-depth analysis. I would have liked an honorable mention for Broadway veteran Florence Lacey, who holds the record for the most performances of ‘Evita’, including the 1989-90 European Tour.

I Saw Patty LuPone twice in her LA run...The first was a Saturday Matinee. Then I saw it right before it was leaving LA. She was really good. But the first performance I couldn't get over how different it was from the album, and Julie Covington. Especially except for the album, During "On The Balcony of the Casa Rosada", she sings her speech like an opera, but the PL version was spoken on pitch, instead. It threw me for a loop the first time I saw it, but It was incredible. I noticed that Elain Paige was singing the speech. I'll have to revisit that cast album. Very Very Good, Incredibly thorough documentary film. Thank you so much.

Everyone talks about the comparison with Patti Lupone!
Elaine Paige was the original stage EVITA! and yet you never here her complain or moan!

Finally watched this. Fascinating! 👍 Thanks so much. 👏

Charro as Evita?! OMG that would have been FABULOUS

Patti said she was miserable through the Evita run, that she felt like she was screaming more than singing through this role. It is vocally difficult. When I sing along, I don't power belt, stay classical, because I don't want to damage my voice.

Great video, thanks!

They wanted Meryl Streep for the movie, but there were issues with filming abroad and her then-young children. The original director pulled out when Madonna became involved. I'm not sure Meryl Streep's voice would have been that much stronger than Madonna's.

Excellent work - instant subscription!

just discovered this channel, third video in so far! love it!!!!!!

"Evita" is a ridiculous, false musical that does not understand the character of Eva Perón, a great woman who fought all the time against the military, the church and the horrible Argentine aristocracy. That's why I think Madonna understood her character perfectly and not the previous overacting and even comical actresses who pantomimed the character just to ridicule Eva.

Great content as usual 👏🏼 just want to add that I would love it if you were to cover the life and career of Elaine Paige in one of your videos. I feel sometimes she can be somewhat overlooked compared to her broadway peers. Probably due to her mostly being a West End star. She was truly a trailblazer in musical theatre and a powerhouse talent- both as a singer and actor. As well-researched and well-edited as your videos are, I’m certain it would make for great viewing!

I’ve been watching “Santa Evita” on Hulu—a show created by an Argentinian studio. Judging by their depiction of Evita, the issue is that she was relentless. She was like an attack dog—once she latched onto something, she would never let go. Whether it was Juan Peron himself, or women’s suffrage, or helping anyone she could with her foundation, she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted. She was fiercely loyal to whatever she latched onto.

Always Patti.

What a WONDERFUL episode!!!
I learned the real intention of my favorite "Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”. Which has blown me away. If I ever sing that song again, and I will, I have a WHOLE different perspective to work with because of this wonderful, wonderful episode!! Keep up the good work!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

The musical and Eva are shown through the eyes of the elite who hated her.

Absolutely brilliant work you have done! Thank you. Takes me back to 9th grade in political science class where I was introduced to Eva Peron. Was always fascinated by the story and the musical, then and now.

Don't know if the guys were politically tone deaf, but America's record in most South and Central American counrties was shameful at best. The Peron movement was a populist movement. Whatever judgement historians make, the US was not fond of it. The US preferred to make deals with military regimes and for most of the time they engaged in embargos, freezing assets, and limiting aid to Argentina. If the two musicians thought that they would get away with sly sarcasm and spotlighting Eva Peron, they must have been particularly tone deaf to think that the US media, music critics, and other types of writers wouldn't attack.

The first watch of the movie, I didn't know the characters well, thought the guy following her around was an ex lover, telling her story and reminding her of where she came from as well as judging her when he seen her....my bad

Madonna cannot act. She is too rigid.

I will never understand the appeal of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Karen Carpenter sang it as well <3

What about Elena Roger?

It's a shame you didn't include the latest London production of Evita that was produced in 2019 (and coming back in 2025) by director Jamie Lloyd. It's an incredible reimagining of the piece.

I always thought that EVITA was musically the best of Webbers musicals, and the White Album was a fantastic production. I agree that as a drama for stage it is more than lacking though and the film genre has the best means to "fix" the story up. Unfortunately for the film production that in choosing Madonna they wasted an incredible opportunity. The material is now actually more interesting than in its early days because we have a large amount of First Ladies around😂