By Hannah Cass
They say you learn something new every day, and at the Stage Door Theater in St. George, their production of Evita taught me some great lessons. On this Valentine’s evening I learned about the story of Eva Perón, an inspiring Argentinian woman, who not only came from a lower-class family and pursued the arts, but became her nation’s First Lady. I had seen the film version of Evita starring Madonna years ago, but couldn’t remember much of the story. I did a little research prior to the show and was finding myself enthralled by Eva Perón’s legacy. She was a feminist, a suffragette, a charity worker, and a leader. I promise I’ll start talking about the actual production itself before this begins to sound too much like a history report rather than a theater review, but I was personally really excited to spend Valentine’s Day celebrating the memory of such a great woman.
The Electric Theater is a cozy and familiar place for me, since I spent plenty of time rehearsing and performing on that stage, and the space is a bit tight. I remember waiting in the wings and trying my best not to move a muscle so I wouldn’t be spotted by the audience. In this production of Evita, I noticed something that literally blew my mind once I realized what it was: a drum set. A full-sized drum set playing backstage, along with a piano and guitars. Live music, and somehow it all snugly fit. Taylor Williams was playing the keyboard, with Matt LeFevre on drums, David Wayt on bass, and Sheldon Laney on guitar. Sadly, they didn’t have any band merch.
As far as casting goes, Eva is played by Crystal Jones, who was also Ruth Kelly in Stage Door’s production of Harvey. Remarkably, she was able to take on the role after two previous actresses fell through. The role of Che is portrayed by none other than James Royce Edwards, who as always nailed it. Leader Juan Perón is played by Ed Tracey, Eva’s first fling Agustin Magaldi is played by the charismatic Jared Washburn, and Perón’s mistress is portrayed by silver-voiced Kimi Gubler. Regardless of having few lead roles, every cast member was highlighted at some point in the production. Cathy Ford, Christine France, Abigail Pearson, Lindsay Weiland, Gabriela Merida, Ashley Wilkes, Thomas Anderson, Mike Een, Jacob Bastian, Ryan Sant, Reagan Rindlisbacher, Molly Pearson, Ian Merida, Anna Merida, Cylest LeFevre all cried out for A New Argentina and captivated the audience.
Vocal Director Nicole Kimzey had many components right, but the tempo was off a bit. Because I saw an early production, I’m sure they will work this out.
Mindy Batt did costumes, Perry and Jeremy and Todd Bird did sets, and lighting design was by Jennifer Roberts. The costumes were great, Agustin’s red blouse was perfect and the fact that his character is a singer helped to remind me of that scene in Nacho Libre when he infiltrates the party. The sets were very simplistic, there would be one or two tables or the one staircase at a time with projections in the background, but it worked for the space. The lighting was great, Eva’s funeral was often blacked down to further emit the despair.
That aside, the efforts of everyone involved deserve a round of applause. Director Kerry Perry runs the majority of The Stage Door’s operations, with Edwards as assistant director, Williams directing the music, and Karen Westfall and Christine France doing the choreography. Loved that scene where Eva’s side guys lift her in the air.
Evita isn’t produced very often in Utah and The Stage Door Theatre has brought it to St. George. It’s worth seeing, for the story and for the production itself.
The Stage Door presents Evita, Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice
The Electric Theater, 68 E Tabernacle, St. George, UT 84790
Contact: 435-656-4407
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Tickets: $18-$21 General Admission
February 14-24, 2018, Wednesday-Saturday 7:30 PM
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