Theatre Review – Duncan Harley - Evita @ HMT
Margaret Thatcher once said that “If a woman like Eva Peron with no ideals, can get that far, think how far I can get” and she had a point. The Iron Lady however took several decades to claw her way to the top; Eva took just the one. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita first took to the stage in 1979. A film version followed in 1996 starring Madonna as Evita and Antonio Banderas as Che. With the stage version now pushing forty, the story-line remains controversial. Portrayed as a working-class girl who whored her way out of the slums and exploited the poor, her legacy remains subject to debate. Hard to ignore however is her undoubted political prowess. Assuming control of the Argentinian Ministry of Labour in 1946, she generously handed out wage increases and promoted women’s suffrage whilst privately embracing a lifestyle lavishly populated with couture clothing and expensive jewellery. Greats such as Elaine Page and Madalena Alberta have taken on the mantle of the lead...