THEATRE REVIEW: Evita, Liverpool Empire

May 28 2008 by Peter Grant, Liverpool Daily Post

STANDING radiant in white, Louise Dearman deserved the standing ovation. If you believe you’ve been to see Evita before on stage – then think again.

This UK touring premiere by Bill Kenwright with the Really Useful Theatre Company for Capital of Culture Year, is stunning. And we got to see it first in 2008.

We beat The West End.

You ain’t seen or heard an Evita like this. This review opens at the ovation – so let's turn the clock back to the beginning.

Directors Mr Kenwright and Bob Tomson take the audience on a powerful journey through time.

It’s theatrical story-tellying at its finest. Designer Matthew Wright's exquisite sets help the action along, and David Steadman's musical direction also takes the rhythm on a different level to other Evitas.

Che – an assured Seamus Cullen – invites us all to eavesdrop on the political pantomime in the jaunty, satirical Oh What a Circus!

This actor is a great communicator making an immediate bond with the audience throughout the performance.

This is a version of Evita where the pace is just right – you can follow this rags to riches tale thanks to structure and clarity from the ensemble cast.

They all seem to have the passion little Eva Peron had.

But before we talk about Eva – what a night of a thousand stars for local lad James Waud who played Magaldi.

This graduate of the Liverpool Theatre school was sparkling having shown why he won Bill Kenwright's "search for a star" talent trawl.

The songs are all classics from Another Suitcase in Another Hall to High Flying Adored.

Mark Heenehan's Peron has just the right chemistry to work alongside Louise Dearman’s faultless Evita.

And what a performance. Tiny on stage, she grew with stature on every song and every gesture of defiance.

During the momentous Don't Cry for Me Argentina on a balcony she was like a living, breathing movie reel.

This was the woman who rose from working class status to Sainthood. Blonde ambition but played with soul. Watching this scene alone made other Evitas fade into the background.

And there we have it – a show with passion, endless emotion and style

Back to the encore. Radiant, too. This is one Evita it will be hard to forget.