PELLOW to play CHE at The Edinburgh Playhouse (Part 1)

Having watched The Matrix, I delude myself that I understand the nature of The Spectacle. Since I believe that society itself is a mere distraction from the intrinsic conflict of different interest groups, and the entire edifice of civilisation hides some brutal truths about the nature of 'reality,' being a theatre critic can be a problem. 

For example, do I maintain my belief when watching a performance - itself a spectacle - and herald the play as being the location of 'truth presented as a lie' (that is, the symbolic truth of theatre breaks through the veil of misunderstanding weaved around me by The Machines)? Or is the theatre simply another distraction from harsh meat-hook reality?

The Musical, especially ones written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, probably counts as A Spectacle. So, when Evita comes back to The Edinburgh Playhouse, should I be outside picketing it?

My usual excuse for theatre is that through its particular way of being experienced, it mangles the usual manner of perception, providing an alternative to mundane understanding. If that is valuable, it has to count even when an internationally successfully juggernaut hits town.

Let me begin with the case for the prosecution. Evita tells a political story - about a woman who is connected to a controversial Argentinian president through marriage. Yet the press release frames it differently.

Telling the story of Eva Peron, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Peron, EVITA follows Eva’s journey from humble beginnings through to extraordinary wealth, power and iconic status which ultimately lead her to be heralded as the ‘spiritual leader of the nation’ by the Argentine people. With more than 20 major awards to its credit, including the Oscar winning film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, Evita features some of the most iconic songs in musical theatre, including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, On This Night of a Thousand Stars, You Must Love Me, and Another Suitcase in Another Hall.

I am suspicious of anything that has attracted Madonna - her ability to subsume any art or artist to her own egotism makes Evita suspect (I think she made the film when she was trying to be a film star, escaping the pressure of pop at a time when Radio One was beginning to exclude older artists in an attempt to be down with the youth).

And the idea of turning the life story of a woman who is, variously, seen as a supporter of the dignity of labour and a political movement tainted by accusations of demagoguery and dictatorial attitudes into a love story is probably a good example of how The Spectacle works.

And didn't Shakespeare do this with the Tudors? Art is often an important tool for the propagandist. While I don't believe Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice were in the pay of any government agency, their representation of Evita Peron reinforces a version of history that identifies 'great individuals' as being the driving force behind change - as opposed to collective action, say. It doesn't hurt the Peronists to have a few hit singles about one of their founders.

Then there is this addition to the cast.


MARTI PELLOW, one of music’s most respected artists will undertake one of musical theatre’s most coveted roles, when he plays Che in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s EVITA.

Marti Pellow plays Che, a character who reflects the voice of the Argentine people; linked to Eva by destiny he brings conflict to the story of Eva’s rise to fame.

As a solo-singer, recording artist, and at the beginning of his career with Wet Wet Wet, Marti Pellow has enjoyed virtually unrivalled chart success, with over 25 hits and three of the UK’s biggest number one singles, including the seminal Love Is All Around. He has performed all over the world, and his West End and Musical Theatre appearances include The Witches of Eastwick, Chess, Jekyll & Hyde, Chicago and Blood Brothers. He joins the cast of EVITA fresh from a solo tour to launch his brand new solo album Hope.

I admit I thought that this meant Evita had a meeting between Che Guevara and Evita Peron. Che is actually an Everyman character who tries to get Evita to remember her commitment to the poor. Still, I can make a point about how a celebrity is playing the part of a radical, and pontificate on how the irony of the juxtaposition undermines any meaning that might be contained in Che's exhortations for the working man. 

I might say all of these things... but I haven't actually seen the musical in question. Even wikipedia points out that there are a few holes in my argument (the lyrics were based on a rather unsympathetic biography of Evita, for example, and are not the hagiography that I suggest).

I might say this, but there is something more... I am flattening Evita, ignoring those things that don't follow my deconstruction. Even worse, it ignores my vague theory about how performance jams the usual ways of seeing. 

Part two will clarify, perhaps...



EVITA will be at The Edinburgh Playhouse from 27th January – 6th February 2014.












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