Every Word is True

Watching the show tonight, I realized something about our production that maybe should have been obvious to me before now. What separates our Evita from most other Evitas is that ours does not impose a director's judgment on Eva Peron. We let her tell her story, and we let Che have his counter-argument. We portray Juan Peron and the people of Argentina as honestly as we possibly can, and we let the story speak for itself.

We're not starting from a point where we presuppose that Eva was a nasty bitch and paid for her sins by dying young. As much as I loved the original Broadway production, that's what it said to its audience. Che was the truth teller. Eva was not to be trusted and she got what she deserved.

That's not nearly as interesting as leaving those judgments to the audience. Let everyone take from it what they will. It may depend on what political biases they have, where they've lived, what kind of childhood they had... who knows how many things will influence how we perceive Eva? I think she will be a Rorschach test of sorts. And that's what's cool about this show. It doesn't tell us what to think -- it just holds a mirror up to our times and lets us see what we see.

On a totally different topic... you have to hear this fucking band of ours! I was so relieved tonight because I know for sure now that this will indeed be what I've promised everyone it will be, a more rock and roll Evita. It really is! This music is sooooo much cooler played without strings and french horns and harp. There always was a rock score hidden inside trying to get out.

And we have freed it. Just call us Abraham Lincoln.

We've still got some work to do, but the show really looks good. Thommy Crain's costumes are great, Todd's set is great, the cast sounds great. I'm very pumped.

Long Live the Musical!
Scott