Evita in Concert - Drury Lane

[toomasj]

Thank you theatremadhatter for the above post.

I wanted to address this portion of your post:

“But considering the amount of time given and little direction I think it’s unfair to hold them up to previous productions such as Grandage. This is a concert after all.”

Now, while you go on to address - very fairly and eloquently in my view - the difficulties in arranging this kind of production, I don’t think the above quote marries up.

I don’t want to confrontational about this, but because you brought it up Grandage’s revival starred Elena Roger, Matt Rawle and Philip Quast in a fully staged production and ensemble of 16. Now, Elena Roger was infinitely superior to the Eva I saw. Matthew Rawle is the same and Jeremy Secomb is impressive as ever.

Grandage’s Evita - with a better cast, actual sets (and crew), and being fully rehearsed cost £80 for a premium seat. A concert directed by the choreographer of the Kenwright tour, an ensemble of eight and a desperately poor Eva was offered out at double the price.

Again, the performance I attended Eva literally didn’t sing lines at one stage having missed a cue to… be on stage (Rainbow Tour). This is below am-dram. I remind you of the cost.

So going back to the original quote: it’s unacceptable. Cast better. Direct better. Give a few more days rehearsing. Hire people who know the material to cut down on mistakes.

In my view what I saw is the pits of what commercial musical theatre can do. £25. Fine. I come away feeling dejected as I wanted it to be good. £150? I’d be downright furious.

[couldileaveyou]

Aug 2, 2023 2:23:03 GMT toomasj said:

Grandage’s Evita - with a better cast, actual sets (and crew), and being fully rehearsed cost £80 for a premium seat. A concert directed by the choreographer of the Kenwright tour, an ensemble of eight and a desperately poor Eva was offered out at double the price.

I mean you're absolutely right on everything you said, but to be entirely fair that was 17 years ago and today you'd have a hard time finding a stalls seat for any of the major show for that money. And with inflation 80£ of 2006 are more or less 130£ today.

[theatremadhatter]

Aug 2, 2023 2:23:03 GMT toomasj said:

I don’t want to confrontational about this, but because you brought it up Grandage’s revival starred Elena Roger, Matt Rawle and Philip Quast in a fully staged production and ensemble of 16. Now, Elena Roger was infinitely superior to the Eva I saw. Matthew Rawle is the same and Jeremy Secomb is impressive as ever.

Grandage’s Evita - with a better cast, actual sets (and crew), and being fully rehearsed cost £80 for a premium seat. A concert directed by the choreographer of the Kenwright tour, an ensemble of eight and a desperately poor Eva was offered out at double the price.

So going back to the original quote: it’s unacceptable. Cast better. Direct better. Give a few more days rehearsing. Hire people who know the material to cut down on mistakes.

In my view what I saw is the pits of what commercial musical theatre can do. £25. Fine. I come away feeling dejected as I wanted it to be good. £150? I’d be downright furious.

Absolutely. We are actually saying the same thing. We saw different shows for certain, in the evening no cues were missed, it just wasn't as I said as good as I felt it could have been with a proper rehearsal /sets. There were some stand out moments along with the orchestra. But this was billed as a concert not a fully fledged production. We got something in between. Which was essentially a show still in rehearsal. 

I just lie the blame with the producers and these 'concerts' overall, not with a cast who don't know the show, expected to do staging, costume changes and learn a whole score / cues and to find out it was all in 4 days and one orchestra rehearsal. I don't think any other performer who hadn't already done the show like Matt & Jeremy would have been better in the circumstances. Evita is a very difficult part and it's churlish and somewhat cruel for the producers to expect for anyone to get that under a belt in such a short time. Auli'i said she'd never heard of the show before being cast in her interview on this morning. That was never going to come off in a week and the producers should know better. Especially as you say with the price of some of the tickets. So I agree if they continue to do this cast people who know the show or have done it in the past so they have a chance! 

[BurlyBeaR]

Aug 2, 2023 6:36:37 GMT theatremadhatter said:

Aug 2, 2023 2:23:03 GMT toomasj said:

I don’t want to confrontational about this, but because you brought it up Grandage’s revival starred Elena Roger, Matt Rawle and Philip Quast in a fully staged production and ensemble of 16. Now, Elena Roger was infinitely superior to the Eva I saw. Matthew Rawle is the same and Jeremy Secomb is impressive as ever.

Grandage’s Evita - with a better cast, actual sets (and crew), and being fully rehearsed cost £80 for a premium seat. A concert directed by the choreographer of the Kenwright tour, an ensemble of eight and a desperately poor Eva was offered out at double the price.

So going back to the original quote: it’s unacceptable. Cast better. Direct better. Give a few more days rehearsing. Hire people who know the material to cut down on mistakes.

In my view what I saw is the pits of what commercial musical theatre can do. £25. Fine. I come away feeling dejected as I wanted it to be good. £150? I’d be downright furious.

. Evita is a very difficult part and it's churlish and somewhat cruel for the producers to expect for anyone to get that under a belt in such a short time. Auli'i said she'd never heard of the show before being cast in her interview on this morning. That was never going to come off in a week and the producers should know better.

This ☝🏻

I’d love to hear Patti Lupone’s opinion on it! 

[shownut]

I was there last night and would give it a solid 3 stars.

Even with a couple of performances under their belt, it felt/sounded quite unrehearsed with missed cues, wrong words/lyrics and some pretty cringy harmonies, especially in "Goodnight and Thank You" where at one point, both Matt and Auli"i could not locate their notes at all.

Auli"i was a misfire but with potential. She got stronger in the 2nd act but simply didn't have the voice of the presence for a solid Eva, even in a concert version. Yes, she could manage the high notes, but everything else was often pitchy, occasionally sharp and she was clearly challenged in terms of keeping in tempo or on the mark with the orchestra. That said, if she had a proper six weeks to rehearse and a decent director, there might have been potential....and she might have had an easier time with the lyrics which she muddled on more than a couple of occasions. 

The staging was quite amateurish. What they were doing with "Art of The Possible" is anyone's guess but they clearly thought musical chairs was too much of a challenge. And having several entrances upstage with the conductor nearly centerstage meant 1/3 or more of the house, at least in the stalls, could not see what was happening. 

Matt Rawle was ok and like Auli"i, was stronger in the second act. "And The Money Kept Rolling In" was thrilling despite some weird choreography happening stage right (don't try and stage a crowd scene complete with bodyguards when you only have 8 players....totally naff).

The saving grace was the orchestra which sounded rich and full, in spite of some uneven tempos.

At the prices they were charging, this really should have been a LOT more professional and not something that looked thrown together in a day.

[BurlyBeaR]

I have to say though, if you really had never heard of the show but managed to get cast as the lead in a west end concert wouldn’t you listen the f*** out of every cast recording you could get your hands on for WEEKS before rehearsals started? She was announced 2 months ago, what’s she been doing since? Playing Disney soundtracks? 

[tommy]

Saw the matinee, having seen several full stage versions of Evita, I was really curious to this concert version and expected/hoped the music to sound glorious (let alone in this iconic theatre), and I think this was absolutely the case! The orchestra sounded stunning - especially in the big songs - like did the actress who played Evita too (she felt so at ease in those well known songs). Strong performances from the other leads, especially the actor/singer who played Peron stood out giving a masterclass performance to the part. Not to forget the amazing, stunning ensemble - pitch perfect in my opinion, not in the least in the choreographed parts!

I read somewhere in the comments above about 4 days of rehearsals - gosh even more remarkable how they did put together this semi-staged version for only 3 shows!
Some of the performers I understand were already (very) familiar to the show, but even with much professional experience, it must have been challenging, not in the least the part of Eva Peron.

[distantcousin]

Aug 1, 2023 21:26:02 GMT dan28 said:

Reading all the reviews I wonder why they didn't choose to hire a strong, capable and suitable Eva.

More important to hire a name, especially one that would get the Disney fans in. 

She clearly wasn't up the the role. 

[mrsbutler]

Really poor matinee performance yesterday. Lead roles were worst especially Evita, to the extent that I wondered if they were hungover. The lady who sung Another Suitcase was far better. Acting was wooden and there was absolutely no chemistry between the lead characters. Felt unrehearsed and pitching was awful at times. Very disappointed.

[ceebee]

Building off the above posts, it feels to me like producers / directors might kill the trend for theatre concerts if they keep putting on under-rehearsed dross like this. I'd rather have actor/singers standing still doing nothing but knowing the lines (though given that there were autocue screens all around the auditorium in Drury Lane, there's not really any reason to fluff a line). This experience will make me think twice about going to see concert events, as the quality was not good enough despite the excellent orchestra and a couple of strong singing performances. For me, this trend for "live in concert" style events dumbs down the source material (think Matt Lucas as Thenardier - turned a really great character into a panto turn). "Spend £130 to see a few people you recognise off the telly or stage butcher your favourite shows, with minimal/no set, but experience orchestras how they used to sound 25 years ago - retro theatre... we've taken out the actors but replaced the musicians." Who'd have thought it would be possible? A very easy way for producers to make a quick buck and gauge appetite for future full productions. (So a glorified workshop then...)

[vickyg]

Aug 2, 2023 7:14:59 GMT shownut said:

Even with a couple of performances under their belt, it felt/sounded quite unrehearsed with missed cues, wrong words/lyrics and some pretty cringy harmonies, especially in "Goodnight and Thank You" where at one point, both Matt and Auli"i could not locate their notes at all.

It was at this point that I genuinely thought I might actually be losing my mind... and my hearing. I thought the issue must be with me because it couldn't possibly be as bad as I thought I was. A leading lady who shouts, screams, can't reach the notes and isn't on a *large* proportion of notes she could reach. How can you let that go ahead. 

These concerts always have issues so, on one hand, I don't know why I'm surprised. On the other hand, people are paying real money, as much, and in many cases, more money than they would for a longer running production and shouldn't have to settle for this.

[shownut]

Aug 2, 2023 8:15:22 GMT vickyg said:

Aug 2, 2023 7:14:59 GMT shownut said:

Even with a couple of performances under their belt, it felt/sounded quite unrehearsed with missed cues, wrong words/lyrics and some pretty cringy harmonies, especially in "Goodnight and Thank You" where at one point, both Matt and Auli"i could not locate their notes at all.

It was at this point that I genuinely thought I might actually be losing my mind... and my hearing. I thought the issue must be with me because it couldn't possibly be as bad as I thought I was. A leading lady who shouts, screams, can't reach the notes and isn't on a *large* proportion of notes she could reach. How can you let that go ahead. 

These concerts always have issues so, on one hand, I don't know why I'm surprised. On the other hand, people are paying real money, as much, and in many cases, more money than they would for a longer running production and shouldn't have to settle for this.

Same here in terms of "Goodnight and Thank You". My hands involuntarily went over my mouth. It was just so bad.

[max]

You'd think that after a terrible run of artistic outcomes and even more dreadful publicity that ALW/Really Useful would be demanding that everything is top notch, or just vetoing it if in any doubt. Someone at RUG needs to get a grip - including on their main asset ALW.

[ceebee]

Aug 2, 2023 9:48:22 GMT max said:

You'd think that after a terrible run of artistic outcomes and even more dreadful publicity that ALW/Really Useful would be demanding that everything is top notch, or just vetoing it if in any doubt. Someone at RUG needs to get a grip - including on their main asset ALW.

Exactly this. I actually like very many of ALW's works, but these days he is a loose cannon who should not be allowed any where near the place where artistic decisions are made.  If I was ALW I would be entrusting the artistic integrity and legacy of my productions to a group of trusted advisors who I know would then protect my assets whilst I am alive and when I am gone. 

The last thing anybody who has created a legacy portfolio wants to be thinking as their last thoughts is "I wonder if Cinderella would work better if she had a bob... I wonder if The Beautiful Game would work well on a football pitch?... Can we try leasing the railways on strike days for a giant mainline production of Starlight?... CatsGPT might work - Memory would take on a post-modern irony... Evita - sponsored by a well-known wholegrain cracker product - yes, that might work... Jo-Seph and his technicolor popcorn bucket, hmm, seems contrived..."

So I agree - instead of killing the golden goose, RUG ought to assert greater control on everything that goes out with the ALW name affiliated.  Seems they protect their physical assets (such as theatres) more than their intellectual property (productions, though not necessarily ALW himself).

[actorsinger]

I have a feeling there are a lot of wannabe producers out there who are trying to make a buck by putting on all these one off, highly priced, under rehearsed, concerts instead of actually doing any producing: or putting the time and effort into raising enough money to fund a proper “production”. They blag themselves a half famous name (usually from the states) sling it on the poster and hope for the best. It’s getting so boring.
If they were smaller, cheaper “try out” concerts, to discover ways the show can work, to rework old classics etc, I might understand. But I’m afraid all I see here is lazy greed.

[distantcousin]

Aug 2, 2023 10:09:12 GMT actorsinger said:

I have a feeling there are a lot of wannabe producers out there who are trying to make a buck by putting on all these one off, highly priced, under rehearsed, concerts instead of actually doing any producing: or putting the time and effort into raising enough money to fund a proper “production”. They blag themselves a half famous name (usually from the states) sling it on the poster and hope for the best. It’s getting so boring.
If they were smaller, cheaper “try out” concerts, to discover ways the show can work, to rework old classics etc, I might understand. But I’m afraid all I see here is lazy greed.

Agreed. All the worst habits/excesses of theatre producers.

[max]

Aug 2, 2023 10:03:23 GMT ceebee said:

Aug 2, 2023 9:48:22 GMT max said:

You'd think that after a terrible run of artistic outcomes and even more dreadful publicity that ALW/Really Useful would be demanding that everything is top notch, or just vetoing it if in any doubt. Someone at RUG needs to get a grip - including on their main asset ALW.

Exactly this. I actually like very many of ALW's works, but these days he is a loose cannon who should not be allowed any where near the place where artistic decisions are made.  If I was ALW I would be entrusting the artistic integrity and legacy of my productions to a group of trusted advisors who I know would then protect my assets whilst I am alive and when I am gone. 

The last thing anybody who has created a legacy portfolio wants to be thinking as their last thoughts is "I wonder if Cinderella would work better if she had a bob... I wonder if The Beautiful Game would work well on a football pitch?... Can we try leasing the railways on strike days for a giant mainline production of Starlight?... CatsGPT might work - Memory would take on a post-modern irony... Evita - sponsored by a well-known wholegrain cracker product - yes, that might work... Jo-Seph and his technicolor popcorn bucket, hmm, seems contrived..."

So I agree - instead of killing the golden goose, RUG ought to assert greater control on everything that goes out with the ALW name affiliated.  Seems they protect their physical assets (such as theatres) more than their intellectual property (productions, though not necessarily ALW himself).

I don't think it's been done before, but what RUG needs is to recruit an Artistic Director. 

[toomasj]

Aug 2, 2023 9:43:05 GMT shownut said:

Aug 2, 2023 8:15:22 GMT vickyg said:

It was at this point that I genuinely thought I might actually be losing my mind... and my hearing. I thought the issue must be with me because it couldn't possibly be as bad as I thought I was. A leading lady who shouts, screams, can't reach the notes and isn't on a *large* proportion of notes she could reach. How can you let that go ahead. 

These concerts always have issues so, on one hand, I don't know why I'm surprised. On the other hand, people are paying real money, as much, and in many cases, more money than they would for a longer running production and shouldn't have to settle for this.

Same here in terms of "Goodnight and Thank You". My hands involuntarily went over my mouth. It was just so bad.

Oh my goodness, it’s flooding back to me. I had almost exactly the same reaction. There were quite a few moments where I involuntarily cringed. The “crowd” scene (lol) staging in “A New Argentina” mentioned above, and “The Art of the Possible” were just incredibly badly put together.

There were moments of a simple lack of care and attention to detail; for example at the benefit concert before Peron’s speech Che sets up a microphone downstage centre. Got it. But then Peron gives his speech half way up the staircase. Why?!

The end of “Oh What a Circus” didn’t get applause (in the Royal Circle at least) because of the unclear staging. “Santa Evita” was sung by a fully grown woman. “The Waltz” was a mess in every department, from the dull amateurish staging through to the botched harmonies.

[BVM]

Mods - can we add the star rating please to see what the average consensus is for this?!

[BVM]

Gosh poor old ALW.

First everyone says he needs to step back from creative control and trust other people to have a go.

Now he needs to step right back in and protect his legacy.

He can’t win!

[BVM]

Surprised so many people found this SO bad.

I thought was such an enjoyable evening, the orchestra and score sounded wonderful. Production values for a concert I thought were very high.

The only mistake was casting Auli’i!

[dan28]

"Theatremadhatter: What I am more disheartened by is how these ‘concerts’ are thrown up, according to the cast at stage door in 4 days with one orchestra rehearsal before a show. Then the cast members like Jeremy and Matt who have done the show before many many times will of course shine out."

They had the choice of casting Eva in the same way. Plenty of strong, known and experienced performers out there who know and have played the role. Especially for a production like this.


"Toomasj: the performance I attended Eva literally didn’t sing lines at one stage having missed a cue to… be on stage (Rainbow Tour). This is below am-dram. I remind you of the cost."

That is unacceptable. As well as not knowing the lines, lyrics and harmonies. It is all very avoidable. Especially in a production like this.

[max]

Aug 2, 2023 10:29:57 GMT BVM said:

Gosh poor old ALW.

First everyone says he needs to step back from creative control and trust other people to have a go.

Now he needs to step right back in and protect his legacy.

He can’t win!

Yes, but "step right back in and protect his legacy" by employing someone of talent and taste, and then leaving them to it.  Someone who can say...hmm, Bill Deamer....average...Producers - come back with a stronger idea and we'll happily consider it again".

[distantcousin]

Aug 2, 2023 10:35:02 GMT dan28 said:

"Theatremadhatter: What I am more disheartened by is how these ‘concerts’ are thrown up, according to the cast at stage door in 4 days with one orchestra rehearsal before a show. Then the cast members like Jeremy and Matt who have done the show before many many times will of course shine out."

They had the choice of casting Eva in the same way. Plenty of strong, known and experienced performers out there who know and have played the role. Especially for a production like this.


"Toomasj: the performance I attended Eva literally didn’t sing lines at one stage having missed a cue to… be on stage (Rainbow Tour). This is below am-dram. I remind you of the cost."

That is unacceptable. As well as not knowing the lines, lyrics and harmonies. It is all very avoidable. Especially in a production like this.

I'm wondering if a lot of the theatre-going public would not notice these misses and flubs?

[BVM]

He’s let Kenwright do what he likes for years.

I think it’s a stretch to say Bill Deamer isn’t good enough for ALW 🤷🏻‍♂️. They are friends and have worked together before so not sure the initial decisions were wrong. It’s all very easy to criticise with the retrospectoscope.

Though yes they made a mistake with Auli’i. So will be more interesting to see if RUG licence to them again I guess.

But Moana could have been incredible. So on paper I don’t really think they did much wrong IDK.