One of our friends performs with the Romiley Operatic Society in Stockport, and their current show is Evita. Neither of us has ever seen Evita; both of us are somewhat allergic to Andrew Lloyd Webber, in truth! But in the spirit of friendship we gritted our teeth and went along.
The show was staged at the Stockport Plaza which is an absolute gem of an Art Deco theatre, with a wonderfully authentic tearoom. We had lunch before the show with friends.
So, onto Evita…..well, I’m not suddenly a Lloyd Webber fan, but this production was truly excellent. It was impossible to distinguish from a professional performance. The choreography, music and dancing were amazing and the singing was so powerful and perfect. Many times there were more than fifty actors on stage and they moved seamlessly around, never bumping into each other.
The actors playing Evita and Che (the narrator) were fabulous. A reviewer said Che's performance was "so versatile and he oozes charisma in an effortless narration and social commentator on Evita throughout. Through his acting, he guided the audience in a crystal-clear narration. A flawless performance."
I didn't know much about Peron's time in power, nor the role of Eva Peron in his government, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned during this performance.
We won't be rushing to another Lloyd Webber show anytime soon, but Evita was certainly far better than we expected.