Evita - Theatre Royal, The Lyric

I knew a few songs from this show, but I had never seen the show or the film. I was looking forward to seeing the tunes brought to life. I was very impressed with the staging. It was seamless, dramatic and entirely in keeping with the drama of the performance.

The chorus were fantastic. Their voices were exquisite and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them. I was also very impressed with their dancing and quick costume changes. They were so in sinc with each other and so captivating to watch.


One actress in particular stood out. She sang 'Another suitcase in another hall' and her voice was like crystal. She was clear and crisp and she felt every syllable. I am astonished that she was not offered the lead. She was sweet, elegant and poignant. I found her performance absolutely breathtaking. Of equal note was a young girl who took on a solo and absolutely smashed it out of the park. I gave her a standing ovation at the end and I hope that she goes on to great things.

Unfortunately, I was enormously disappointed in Madalena Alberto as Evita. She was stiff, cold and lacklustre. I did not feel connected to her as a pretagonist. I spent much of my time looking at what I assume was her wig. Her voice seemed forced, and other than 'You must love me', I found her performance entirely underwhelming. This was such a shame! I must have built her up too much in my mind listening to the CD. I could not understand a lot of what she said during fast and/ or loud parts of the show. Her diction and elocution leaved much to be desired and as a result I lost a large amount of the meaning behind her performance.

After watching Blood Brothers and being very disappointed in Marti Pellow's performance, I wish I had noticed that he was playing Che. I would have thought twice about coming to the show. He was unclear and nasal throughout. His movements were overly dramatic and not in keeping with the rest of the show. I understood very little of what he said/ sang. As a result, I found it incredibly difficult to follow the story line. I have found this twice with him now. I cannot imagine why he continues to be cast over and above others. Many of the men in this performance were far superior to Pellow, and they should be given the opportunity to show him how it should be done.

I do wonder if there was something wrong with their mircrophones. Whatever the reason, I was not moved by their performances and I am disappointed about that.

Overall, I think I expected too much from this show. Had the lady who so delicately and beautifully took on the role of the dejected lover played Evita, and Che been played by one of the extremely talented chorus, I am sure that I would have enjoyed it much more. I would go and see this show again with different actors. What a terrible shame.

Image above not my own.

6.5/10