Having been so impressed with The Gallery Players' previous production, the lighthearted and ensemble-focused The Baker's Wife, I was somewhat taken aback by the company's darker and disjointed production of Evita. Not that the two shows should be compared or contrasted, as they couldn't be more different, but in quality this production of Evita failed to meet my expectations.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Evita began its life as a rock opera concept album written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1976, followed quickly by stage productions in London's West End and Broadway, the latter's original cast including Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin and Bob Gunton in the lead roles. It chronicles the rise to power of Eva Perón as she works her way up the social and political ladder to become a leader of the people, and culminates with her eventual death.
At the start of this production it was clear that the audience would be struggling to hear the singers over the band. Not having mics for the actors was a poor choice as Evita is notably orchestra-heavy. The actors who could not properly project were risking their voices by essentially shouting over the music in a battle that should normally be a collaboration. Additionally the score, conducted here by Emily Croome, sounded dramatically slowed down compared to its normal tempo. The choreography by Elyse Daye Hart seemed limited by the abilities of the cast, particularly in the number "Peron's Latest Flame" where the marching soldiers wandered about out of line while their eyes shifted around nervously looking for their next mark.
The standout performers of this production were Dale Sampson (Che) and Jonathan Mesisca (Juan Perón). Sampson makes his exceptional vocal talents clear from the get-go and portrays a mischievous behind-the-scenes conspirator version of Che Guevara that I found intriguing and fun to watch. Mesisca, the lone non-Equity performer in a lead role, outshines his co-stars with a booming baritone voice and an intimidating posture appropriate to the military colonel, as well as garnering our sympathy during the tragic number "Dice Are Rolling" with real tears in his eyes. Also impressive but underused was Monica Bradley in the role of Perón's Mistress.
The stage direction by Mark Harborth tries to condense for the relatively small size of the Gallery Players' stage, but ultimately the production is of noticeably smaller scale than Evita demands. The story of the musical is still told faithfully but the flaws in the finer details are too distracting for the production to be completely successful.
