Evita At The Curve Leicester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Vickie
Evita, the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, is a “Made at The Curve” production. The musical is set in Argentina in the 1940s and follows the rise of Eva Duarte to the position of Eva Peron. I had only seen the film version of this, starring Madonna as Evita and Antonio Banderas as the Narrator Che. I adored the film version and did not know what to expect from The Curve’s production but was not disappointed. From start to finish, the energy of the ensemble was amazing, performing with such passion that carried us along.
At first I found it difficult to adjust to the performance of Che, performed by Tyrone Huntley, simply because he wasn’t my beloved Antonio Banderas but Tyrone soon won me over with his expressions and powerful, yet beautiful, vocals. It would be easy for him to become overshadowed by Evita, but he held his own and gave a compelling performance that paralleled that of Banderas.
Evita was played by Martha Kirby, who gave a stunning performance throughout. Her vocal talents at times led to gasps from the audience around me as she moved between octaves, seemingly with ease, with the higher notes sung so gently, the lady next to me whispered “just beautiful”. What a talent! Martha reminded me very much of the actress Eleanor Tomlinson (of Outlaws and Poldark fame), playing the role of Eva Peron with a believable mixture of ambition, sass and vulnerability.
The show took me on a journey where I found myself swaying between admiring Eva, for her ambition and drive, believing in her wish to speak out for the lower classes or Argentina, but then disliking her for her manipulative actions and shallowness. It is another example of how politicians may start their career with the right intentions only to find that they have to play a game in order to achieve what they need to achieve, even if it leads to corruption.
Peron was played by Gary Milner and his duet with Kirby “You must love me” left many in the audience teary-eyed. Such a beautiful performance.
From start to finish, Martha Kirby and Tyrone Huntley performed their roles with unending energy, style and precision and their vocals were amazing. Their talent was equalled by the rest of the cast and they very much deserved the standing ovation they received.
The set design was minimalist but absolutely awesome. I loved the use of a video camera and big screen on stage to represent the relationship Eva had with the media. The lighting was effective and I loved the slow motion effect with strobe lighting in one of the dances.
This show was fantastic and my other half, who does not like musicals, found it thoroughly entertaining and was impressed by the passionate performance given by the cast.
The theatre staff were welcoming and friendly and everything was fully accessible at ground level. We had ordered interval drinks from one of the bars and they were ready and waiting for us come half time.
This was our first visit to The Curve in Leicester and it was easy to get to (following the sat nav), with Rutland Street NCP Car Park on the doorstep Sat Nav postcode: LE1 1TQ. The theatre is situated in the cultural quarter, with a variety of bars and restaurants nearby for those wishing to make an evening of it. It is walking distance from the bus and train station too. We will definitely return.
Evita at The Curve, Leicester Tickets 01162423595 www.curveonline.co.uk
https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/evita/
Rating: 5/5