Carnal Reason

One of the many slices of ancient wisdom John Lennon crystallized for my generation was that life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.

Well, you may currently be planning to pay next month’s cell phone bill. But if Harold Prince’s resurrection of Sir Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita is in town, skip paying the bill, pull out your old leather jacket, rent your partner a ruby-studded-jewel-drop necklace to go with her best little black dress, and go see this fine introduction to cross-over rock opera and South American politics.

Unlike director Alan Parker’s film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, this production is stolen by the Che (Guevara) narrator-character, masterfully performed by Steppenwolf Theatre veteran Keith Byron White. White’s Machiavellian Che quite simply rocks the house — all part of the magic of live theatre.

In Production Supervisor Prince’s effort to stage a 21st century reconstruction true to the quarter century old original, he brought back original choreographer Larry Fuller. Though the choreography is solid (but sub-Fosse) work, two featured ballroom dance champions quite simply tango your heart away.

Of course, this work, as was its immediate predecessor Jesus Christ Superstar, is not history. Evita is, however, a serious look at political icons, the power of the proletariat, and a revealing look at South America that may be well fleshed out by diving into the novels of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende.

So turn off that cell phone and head to the theatre. And remember the name Keith Byron White. He’s a star on the rise — a great young talent as singer, actor, and writer.

Posted on November 16th, 2005 by Paco Malo
Filed under: General