Play Review: 'Evita' Kicks Off 2023-2024 Season at The Gateway Playhouse

The Gateway 2023–2024 season has officially begun with Evita — the classic musical featuring lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Keith Andrews and Andrés Acosta direct/choreograph this faithful adaptation.

Told in vignettes, critical observer Che (Pablo Torres) leads the audience on a smear campaign of Argentine President Juan Perón’s (Ryan K. Bailer) revered yet controversial late wife Eva Perón (Amanda Rivera Torres). With each scene in the story of Eva’s rise to power — from sleeping her way to a top position in the country to supporting the impoverished solely to stroke her own ego — Che paints Eva’s charisma and ambition as deceitfulness and pridefulness.

Despite the name of the play, Che, as the narrator, is largely the driving force of Evita and acts as a constant nagging presence to Eva throughout the show. Pablo Torres performs the role with a hint of aggression and loads of sarcastic cynicism.

While the play is by no means a comedy, Torres’ exaggerated snarkiness gets laughs. His singing voice is also a standout among the company, with “And the Money Kept Rolling In” being his best of the show. Costume-wise, he retains the same pink shirt and suspenders throughout the show.

Putting Eva’s harshest critic in such a passive color seemed like an odd choice on costume designer Janine Loesch’s part until Eva changes into a matching pink dress for her rival duet with Che, cleverly implying the two are more alike than opposite — both convinced their ideals are right while their counterpart’s views are wholly wrong and neither one entirely trustworthy.

Cast as the titular character in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Amanda Rivera Torres had a great deal of expectations placed upon her, and she met them with grace and a great deal of talent. Eva is a tightrope of a character to portray, requiring a delicate balance of likeability to fit into Che’s negative portrayal of her story while also maintaining the audience’s investment in her meteoric rise to power.

Rivera Torres mastered this balance. Her singing voice, while tonally beautiful in both acts, seems to increase in power as Eva transformed from teenager to actress to first lady of Argentina. Her final “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” is incredibly moving. And her style is unmatched; Loesch and wig-hair designer Courtney Kakac made sure she dazzled among the commoners, military leaders and even the upper class.

Finally, among the core trio is Ryan K. Bailer as Perón. Bailer’s stage presence is usually quite commanding, but he adds a touch of nuanced affection when interacting with Rivera Torres’ Eva, of whom his political allies in the show disapprove. His voice arguably shone brightest in his penultimate number, “Dices Are Rolling.”

Also of note are stellar singing performances by Matthew Malecki Martinez as Magaldi and Amanda Rose Gross Perón’s mistress. They, along with the rest of the ensemble, wowed the audience with Latin-infused dance numbers, capped off by a passionate tango performed by Carlos A. Jimenez and Michelle Alves.

The sets are very minimal, though not without a few fun surprises such as Eva’s swiveling balcony and an ingenious opening film screening created by projections designer Aaron Kurland. The final production wouldn’t be the same caliber without lighting design by José Santiago, sound design by Jonah Verdon and musical direction by Andrew Haile Austin.

Overall, The Gateway’s traditional take on Evita is a stellar choice for anyone’s first, or repeat, viewing of the musical. The casting is authentic, the performances are strong, and the music is timeless.

Tickets to Evita at The Gateway Playhouse are available online for shows running through May 28. Visit thegateway.org for details.