Review: Cygnet’s visually stunning ‘Evita’ delivers an authentic Latin look and sound

During a pre-curtain speech for Cygnet Theatre’s “Evita” on Saturday, artistic director Sean Murray told the opening-night audience he’s been wanting to direct the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical since 1978.

That’s the year the musical about the life and premature death of Argentinean first lady Eva Peron premiered in London, before it moved to Broadway where it won the 1980 Tony Award for Best Musical. It may have taken 45 years for Murray to get his hands on this show, but it was worth the wait. Even though I’ve seen “Evita” produced more than a half-dozen times over the past 30 years, Murray’s staging felt fresh and revelatory.

It was the first time I’ve seen the show done with an entirely multi-ethnic cast, the first time I’ve heard many of the lyrics sung in a language other than English and the first time I’ve seen the powerlessness of women in Eva’s time portrayed so clearly.

The sharp and athletic tangos and other choreography by Carlos Mendoza is authentically Latin and the projections designed by Blake McCarty include the most historic videos of Juan and Eva Peron and 1930s-’40s Argentina I’ve ever seen, as well as beautiful, painterly images that contrast the lives of the wealthy power couple and the country’s desperately poor citizens. It was also nice to see so many fresh faces on the Cygnet stage. Almost all of the 16 actors and dancers are making their company debut.

A.J. Mendoza, center, as Che, the narrator in Cygnet Theatre’s “Evita.”

(Courtesy of Karli Cadel)

Murray’s production, with scaffolding scenery by Mathys Herbert, is minimalist by design, allowing McCarty’s projections to do the heavy lifting of scene-setting. That also opens up the stage for Mendoza’s high-energy dance scenes.

The musical’s familiar score — which has included the written-for-the-film song “You Must Love Me” since 2006 — is packed of hits. But in this production, some of the song verses are performed in Spanish, and proper names in the script are given authentic Spanish pronunciations (like “Are-hen-teen-a” rather than “Are-gin-tina”).

In “Evita,” the wily Eva Duarte sleeps and schemes her way from small-town poverty and illegitimacy to bejeweled first lady of Argentina. But Murray’s production shows how sex, smarts and self-promotion were then a woman’s only path to power. In an election day scene, only the men approaching the ballot box are allowed to drop in a ballot card.

Ariella Kvashny gives a fierce, multilayered and ultimately haunting performance as the ambitious Eva. As Ché, the narrator/everyman of the story, A.J. Mendoza is an impressive actor and song interpreter with a crazy-high rock tenor vocal range.

Berto Fernández, who in February earned an Actor of the Year award for his versatility in five local shows last year, continues to show his range as Juan Peron. He sings his role with operatic bravado but plays Peron as lonely, brooding and weak-willed. Big-voiced Matthew Malecki Martinez delivers an amusing performance as Eva’s first love, tango singer Magaldi. And Vanessa Orozco, as Peron’s discarded mistress, gives a lovely vocal performance of “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.”

Although they were out of sight backstage, the six-piece orchestra, conducted from the keyboard by music director Patrick Marion delivered a robust sound. Amanda Zieve designed lighting, Evan Eason designed sound and Zoë Trautmann designed costumes.

“Evita” is not produced very often, so it’s a treat to see it back onstage again in San Diego, particularly in a visually stunning production that’s faithful to its origins but also forward-thinking.

‘Evita’

When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through Oct. 1

Where: Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town State Historic Park

Tickets: $37 and up

Phone: (619) 337-1525

Online: cygnettheatre.com

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com