Broken Legs Blog

Leicester Curve’s offering for this Christmas is Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Evita”, which tells the story of Eva Peron (Martha Kirby), the First Lady of Argentina in the 1940s.

The musical begins at the end, with a coffin rising from beneath the stage and crowds of people gathering to pay tribute to their beloved ‘Evita’. From there, we rewind to Eva’s youth, seeing how she learned to use her femininity for her own gains, beginning a relationship with musician Magaldi (Dan Partridge).

When she meets Juan Peron (Gary Milner), a rising politician, she quickly ditches Magaldi and begins to climb the social ladder. The musical charts her rise to fame as a radio star, and subsequently as the politician’s wife. Peron is a questionable character – the musical doesn’t shy away from the fact that he forced people to vote for him and had people “dealt with” that were standing in his way. Eva seems to shrug this off, however – it’s clear that she’s prepared to break laws (or at least turn a blind eye) in order to get what she wants.

Eva is a very complex character, often saying one thing whilst thinking another, and Kirby’s portrayal is superb. At times we question her or disapprove of her actions, whilst at others we feel sorry for her or root for her. It is testament not just to the clever lyrics and story of the musical, but also to Kirby’s incredible performance. In the latter half of the musical, we see Eva’s fame begin to take its toll, and a short illness leads to her early demise. A sad ending, for sure – but the musical makes sure that we don’t forget her faults whilst still allowing us time to mourn her.

Curve’s production is full of excellent performances, especially Tyrone Huntley as the narrator Che, who’s snarky asides and effortless singing voice were a joy to watch. He cleverly leads the audience through the tale – having known nothing about the life of Eva Peron beforehand, I was worried that I wouldn’t understand parts of the play, but I needn’t have been concerned. In Huntley’s safe hands, everything comes across clearly and the picture is cleverly painted.

There are some odd choices in this production. The stage is stripped back so much that the wings are fully visible throughout, meaning that we can see cast members as they prepare to “enter”. This is reminiscent of a TV studio, where Eva spent a lot of her time on her rise to stardom, but even so, I felt like it neither added nor detracted from the play. It was just a bit odd.

There’s also some faffing around with a video camera which I could have done without, but apart from that, I would say this is a very enjoyable show. There is definitely a lot to like here. A musical that grips you from start to finish.

Tom Morley, December 2023