What makes a city hum? Who gives it life? Evita! Evita! And Silhouette Stages’ current production of the Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita will have the whole city of Columbia more than just humming. You’ll cheer. You’ll cry. You’ll be moved. Directed by Daniel Douek, with Musical Direction by Ginny Moses, and Choreography by Amie Bell, this tragically beautiful tale of Argentina’s first lady— the first ‘princess of the people’— is in gloriously capable hands under Daniel Douek’s direction and his production team’s innovative practices on stage.
The show was so very impressive that’s almost painful to have to take to task a few of the design team members for failing to adequately support the stunning talent on the stage. Microphones and sound balance were a perpetual, and regrettably noticeable issue all throughout opening night, so much so that it did very much detract from all of the wonders on stage. The talent on stage deserves better. The audience deserves better. Nick Smith (Sound Design) and Alex Porter (Mic ops) do better. Watch your mics as they come on and off-stage so we don’t hear backstage chatter, so that people are mic’d from the time they start speaking or singing not halfway through their scenes and songs. Fix the feedback issues in sound-check. Do better by your cast and your other creatives who have poured their hearts and souls into this project and deserve to be heard with quality sound.
Scenically the show is impressive. Scenic Designer Kateri Pelton keeps things simple from a furnishings standpoint and relies heavily on the riser-balcony fixture as well as the projections being utilized against the backdrop-scrim. Projections Designer Chris Uehlinger has done a sensational job of integrating live-video footage of actual historical events (as well as photographs) and blending them with images created using members of the cast. Uehlinger also creates scenic moments in these projections with this abstract-art finger-paint appearance— creating Buenos Aires and other places— and it fits the general vibe of the show. Lighting Designer Brad Ranno contributes to some of these moments as well, though (and it’s difficult to say if it was programmed this way or missed/jumped cues) there are moments when the lighting just looks ‘off’. This is particularly true during “I’d Be Surprisingly Good for You”, where the flames curling up against the projection-scrim are in more focus than Eva and Peron dancing, and the overhead lighting seems to cast inconsistently weird shadows on them all throughout that number. But Ranno does have some lovely moments throughout— particularly the lit balcony moment for the initial “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.”
Costumes and Makeup come together under the keen visionary eyes of Tricia Anderson and Tara Herbert (with a stunning assist from Wig Master Tommy Malek) to create an effective split between the three groups featured on-stage in this production. You get the crisp, militaristic look of the soldiers, the rabble-poor among the peasant-working class, and then Evita in her own category with glamorous gowns and dresses that fit her fantastically. Anderson and Herbert cultivate looks that really pop on Evita— particularly that striking sapphire blue number, the glossy fire-red dancing dress, and of course the iconic balcony-sparkle gown. She looks like a Disney dream ascending those stairs and radiates like a sparkling cake-topper when she stands there, holding her arms up for a triumphant cheer; it’s quite the vision. Malek’s wigs are perfectly styled and give Evita that striking severity as well, really emphasizing the attitude and intensity of the character.
Musically the show feels like it could almost be a Sondheim-level challenge, given the amount of recitative, heinously blended harmonies, and other cacophonies that Andrew Lloyd Webber has slipped into the score. But Musical Director Ginny Moses rises to the challenge. There are a few moments where it was difficult to tell if some of the ensemble were a little lost in the myriad of repetitive-but-slightly-different callback phrases of certain numbers or if this was just the mics failing to capture their hearty sounds effectively…we’ll chalk it up to the sound-balance and mic issues, because the majority of the show has the ensemble in full voice, heartily swinging through these numbers. Moses does a good job of encouraging the company to pour full-spectrum feelings into their singing and the effect is impressive.
Musical chairs with military men is not something one would generally expect to see…let alone enjoy so thoroughly…in a rather serious number, but Choreographer Amie Bell has executed that routine rather meticulously amongst the soldiers during “The Art of Possible” with her marching soldiers who stalk around the chairs hoping to not lose their place. (The song itself feels superfluous to the script, which is perhaps why Bell decided to have at it in this fashion and it totally works!) You won’t be able to stop chucking and tittering as each officer is ‘eliminated’, especially as each one has their own specific parting gesture. Bell’s choreography is clean and features a lot of row-window shifts, letting everyone be seen when they’re moving around. Lots of sweeping sways and movements that befit the musical tempo and style. And she’s even got Evita (who more than holds her own) dancing during “Buenos Aires” in that up-tempo mélange of movements.
The pacing of the show is practically perfect— a few scenic hiccups (mostly with that damn rolling doorframe) aside. Director Daniel Douek has a firm handle on how to keep the show running (with shoutouts to the unsung heroes SM Tyler Hart and ASM Bex Hoover) and he also showcases a firm understanding of how to utilize the play space. Often times as one scene closes, he’s started filling in the next scene and this is wondrous. (It also seems to be a factor that far too many theatres as of late seem to have forgotten; it’s okay to start moving the next scene into place as the previous one is concluding!) Douek also draws an attentive focus to the stories being told; it’s not just plopping characters in position and letting them belt their faces off (though to be clear, there’s plenty of belting from our leading lady and it’s glorious.) The story feels raw and fresh; the staging feels effective and works not only from a practical pacing standpoint but from a point of keeping the audience interested in the narrative.
The ensemble— Megan Barnes, Jason Bitt, Libby Burgess, Judah-Isaac Canizares, Felicity Clark, Tori Farnsworth, J.R. Hontz, Jae Jones, Gillian Keirn, John Lynch, Glennyce Lynn, Kenna Mayo, Erica Miller, Julie Mimms, Otega Okurume, Nathanael Quay, Katie Sheldon, Jose Reyes Teneza, Nick Thompson, Carolina Tomasi— fills out all sorts of roles and does so expediently. Many of the women serve as Evita’s ‘servants’ with their kerchiefs and their practiced curtseys whenever they help her in and out of her dresses and jewelry. The men serve as the militant marching officers, and almost everyone gets to be a part of the working class, cheering on the support of Peron at the end of act one.
Felicity Clark and Kenna Mayo, credited as ‘Children of Argentina’ get to showcase their dulcet little voices during “Santa Evita”, each in solo and then together singing at Evita and it’s just the most adorable thing one could hope to hear. The ensemble as a whole, in addition to those two wonderful young performers, is strongly vocalized and carries the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber with gusto and vigor. Julie Mimms, playing ‘Mistress’ also has a divine momentary solo, during “Another Suitcase in the Hall.” Her somber but sweet voice carries gently through this number, a delicate breeze of sorrow blended determination giving you a sense of hope and dignity for this momentary-blip of a character. Mimms doubles up in the ensemble but fully owns that 15-seconds of limelight given to her for the role of ‘Mistress.’
Slick and unapologetically frantic, Henry Cyr embodies the role of Magaldi with an agitated effervescence that makes him read like the hotshot two-timer his character is meant to be. With a proper crooner’s voice, Cyr glides through “On This Night of 1,000 Stars” and has all the ensemble girl going gaga for his performance. Watching him be marched backwards by the menacing ensemble when he attempts to slip away from Evita before “Buenos Aires” is wildly amusing. And although the character of Magaldi is as fleeting in Eva’s story as perhaps the Mistress is to Peron, Cyr (like Mimms) gives a memorable performance that is well worth noting and praising.
They shout his name— Peron! Peron! And he cuts a menacing figure on stage— Peron! Peron! Matt Scheer has a robust and fulsome voice that is perfect for the soldier-come-president of Argentina. And while the libretto doesn’t give Peron much by way of musical numbers (perhaps a little less than your average leading love interest might normally sing), Scheer owns every moment in song and on stage when he’s featured. The heat shared between Scheer and Eva (Samantha McEwen Deininger) during “I’d Be Surprisingly Good for You” is intense; the mastery with which he commands his stage presence during “A New Argentina” is impressive, exuding confidence and a triumphant air. That final moment of “Dice Are Rolling” is such a harrowing blow of emotional turmoil you feel it smashing and crashing in waves out over the audience. When Eva collapses—the guttural cry of sheer anguish and heartache is so piercing as it rolls out of Scheer’s mouth, it’s painful to both look at him and hear him in that moment. He’s a striking force upon the stage and perfectly suited for the role.
No one is going to deny that Samantha McEwen Deininger is the central focus of this show in the titular role but damn if Brian Dauglash doesn’t give her a run for her money and keep her on her toes every step of the way. Che is a curious character, no question. Brian Dauglash makes him so intricately fascinating that you’re almost as absorbed in his existence as this quasi-narrative-storytelling-fiend as you are in the actual story of Evita. With a ferocious stage presence that draws all eyes to him, Dauglash is the human embodiment of fireworks— colorful, explosive, wondrous to observe, loud and wild— and slays fiercely in this role. And he’s vocally astonishing to boot. You’ll go dizzy watching him sashay and leap and all but fly across the stage. Dauglash engages with the story in this uniquely hybrid way as if he’s outside of it and a part of it simultaneously, balancing both his narrative efforts and his character-existence in a sublime fashion. There’s fury and passion and emphatic emotion that rolls through each of Dauglash’s musical performances as well, accompanied with an undeniably energetic enthusiasm that captivates the audience, no question. He’s cheeky— like with his lyrical delivery in “Goodnight and Thank You”— he’s ablaze— like when he leads the battle cry for “A New Argentina”— he’s passion incarnate— “Waltz for Eva and Che”— Brian Dauglash is stunning, truly a sensation as Che.
And if Dauglash is stunning, truly giving the titular character a run for her money, then there are not enough words to describe the sensational and phenomenal performance rising up out of Samantha McEwen Deininger as Evita. She’s enthralling. She’s captivating. She’s hypnotic. Stand back, Columbia, because she’s not just a little touch of star quality— she’s the whole damn galaxy exploding like a supernova all over that stage. She’s belting to bring the universe down and does not disappoint as the leading figure in this show. Versatile, emotionally complex, and filled with vocal talent for miles, Deininger is a triple-threat sensation that owns the show every step of the way. From her extraordinary belting capabilities, witnessed multiple times throughout the performance but possibly most notably during “Buenos Aires”, to her intense facial expressions which would wither the staunchest of individuals, you the whole shebang with Deininger’s performance. There are moments of subtle nuance, like during her initial flirtation with Peron and the tango-waltz that follows during “I’d be Surprisingly Good for You.” And you can see, halfway through “Rainbow Tour” the hints of how she’s starting to fade from her high-octane effervescence. Delivering a brilliant rendition of “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”, Deininger wins over any doubters (as if there were any) to her success in the title role with this song. And her emotional wellspring comes to a full head during “You Must Love Me.” She owns the stage, even in moments when the character has lost its luster, and her voice rings through all of those numbers with tenacious perfection.
So on this night of 1,000 stars, why not let Silhouette Stages take you to heaven’s doors with their rather impressive production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita? It’s an excellent start to their 2024/2025 season and will captivate you thoroughly, if not enchant you entirely with the raw talent mesmerizing you upon their stage this fall.
Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission
Evita plays through November 3rd 2024 with Silhouette Stages at Slayton House Theatre in the Village of Wilde Lake Columbia— 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Columbia, MD. For tickets please call the box office at (410) 216-4499 or purchase them in advance online.
