The Lady’s Got Potential
This is the only time so far that I’ve watched a show at HMT and ended up with goosebumps on my boobs. Oh, my days. I’ve never seen Evita. Well, I have now. But I hadn’t before this week. Scott was surprisingly more excited for this show than I. But that’s because every time we go to the theatre, he spends most of the time staring at the orchestra/band/musical counterpart because he’s obsessed with guitars. And spends most of the show nudging me whilst saying “can you hear the bass?!” Then I pretend I can’t hear it and it winds him up something rotten. But anyway… Scott was keen. I am a Webber girl through and through so I was ready for the TUNES.
High Flying, Adored
Before we knew it, the interval was upon us. Scott’s face was a picture. Confused. But in the happiest possible way. He didn’t quite expect the musical to be so ‘musical’ (clues in the question). Evita, like many of Webber’s best works, is mostly performed in song. Scott had never heard so much song and because he had never seen Evita, he was struggling to follow the storyline. But he said, and I quote, “the production is fantastic, so the plot doesn’t really matter.” Which is where I repeatedly facepalmed.
You see, Evita is marvellous. It is based on the real-life story of Eva Duarte de Peron and her husband, President Juan Peron. Eva, or ‘Evita’ grew up in poverty and went on to become the most famous Argentine woman in history. She had seen and experienced Argentina’s poverty first-hand. Her political influence and charity works saw her become the most loved and the most hated woman in Argentina. The poor worshipped her, the military and higher classes looked down on her.
Don’t Cry for Me Argentina
Lucy O’Byrne, runner-up of BBC’s The Voice, plays the part of Evita in this legendary story and quite frankly, nails it. That all-so-famous part in the show where she stands on the balcony of the Casa Rosada and literally blasts ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’ from a serious set of pipes, was to blame for my boob goosebumps.
But boob goosebumps are common during this show. Political, romantic, disastrous, incredible and most importantly, powerful, this is one of the most beautiful shows to grace HMT’s halls and we think you best pop along. Grab a lemonade, take a tissue and let those goosebumps rain down upon you. Book here.
