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Saturday, November 9, 2013

REVIEW: “EVITA” SPARKLES @ MONTCLAIR OPERETTA CLUB

vcm_s_kf_m160_120x160By Ruth Ross

There is a whole lot more than "just a little touch of star quality" onstage at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield where the Montclair Operetta Club is performing Evita, the inaugural production of their 89th season.

Evita has always been about "a whole lot of excess," but veteran director Bob Cline has pared down the big dance numbers to fit the small stage, eschewed fancy scenery for a simple raised platform reached by two staircases to represent a variety of venues, and, through the use of photos projected above the platform, expanded the space. There is nothing cramped about the production, however. It overflows the small stage to fill the glorious space of this former church, shaking the wooden rafters and getting the audience to tap their feet to the pulsating beat of Andrew Lloyd Weber's music and Tim Rice's lyrics. Once again, this troupe has given us a production that hits it out of the ballpark.

In a quasi-operatic form, Evita recounts the story of Maria Eva Duarte de Perón, the country girl who rose from illegitimacy and rural poverty to become the First Lady (and the designated "Spiritual Leader") of Argentina. Coming to B.A. ("the Big Apple) at 15, by the time Evita died from cancer at 33, she had had more than "a lifetime of success" (that included skimming money from her various charities and depositing it in Swiss bank accounts), and has continued to live in Argentineans' memory and myth far longer.


Act1 Finale (A New Argentina)Bob Cline, along with musical director Gonzalo Valencia and 12 musicians, has given us a show worthy of Broadway. The three actors who carry the story are all superb. Evita is“stuck on" Buenos Aires, and as played by Didi Gomez (left, center in gold coat with Joe DiBartolo as Perón to her left) , we sure are stuck on her. Gomez has the energy and charisma to convey the magic of Evita so beloved of the descamissados ("the shirtless ones," the laborers and trade unionists) she claimed to support. Her beautiful, strong voice carries Lloyd Weber's driving melodies, especially her paean to "Buenos Aires," "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" and "Rainbow High." She is a joy to watch. Jason Pumarada (below, with the children at the announcement of Evita’s death) is equally as terrific as the revolutionary, Ché Guevara, who narrates the show and provides snide, cynical commentary on Evita's actions and place in the Che and ChildrenArgentine consciousness. With a beret and beard, he closely resembles the real Ché, and his strong voice does justice to the myriad of songs in which he's involved. Rounding out the trio is Joe DiBartolo as Juan Perón, the general who seized power and ruled autocratically for seven years, aided and abetted by his loyal Evita. DiBartolo, too, closely resembles the real Perón, which makes the show even more delicious.

Cline has assembled a remarkable ensemble of adults and children to act as descamissados, military men, lovers, aristocrats and mourners at Evita's funeral. The children are adorable and talented; when they sing "Santa Evita" and the "Requiem for Evita," they are especially touching. The adult ensemble, dressed in evening clothes, is appropriately snooty as they look down their noses at "Peron's Latest Flame," and the military men are equally dismissive of her as a “slut.”

Dan Schulz and OnCue Costumes have provided a plethora of dresses suitable to the late Forties/early Fifties, along with a variety of khaki military uniforms for the soldiers, all of which add to the stylish production. Ben Bauer has a big job just lighting the production; sometimes when Ché was singing about Evita as she engaged in some stage business, the spotlight was on him while she was in darkness. The sound by Nick von Hagel was fine, although at times Gomez sounded shrill. These things will probably be ironed out as the performances continue.

Evita is a daunting show to produce because it is completely sung and danced; there is no spoken dialogue. Getting the right performers is key to the production's success. I am pleased to report that the Montclair Operetta Club has found them in Gomez, Pumarada, DiBartolo, and the singers and dancers in the adult and children's ensembles.

If you missed the recent production of Evita on Broadway (with Ricky Martin) or if you just love musical theater, get on over to the Westminster Art Center in Bloomfield this Sunday or next weekend to witness all the fuss about this "High Flying, Adored" actress who became a powerful woman, only to die young. It will be "Surprisingly Good for You," to quote one of the show's songs.

Evita will be performed at the Westminster Art Center, 449 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, November 10 and 17 at 2 PM and November 15 and 16 at 8 PM. For information and tickets, call 973.744.3133 or visit www.mocmusicals.org.