Evita – Redditch Operatic Society
Palace Theatre
LIKE Evita, we’ll start at the end, with the thunderous applause, standing ovation and tears, yes tears, from lead character Sophie Grogan as the waves of adulation broke over her and the rest of the cast.
Amateur company? Pah, make no bones about it, Redditch Operatic Society have once again pulled off a show gleaming with sheer professionalism.
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice can rest easy with this production of their classic.
Mind you, casting firm favourite David Steele in the role of Che/narrator meant we were guaranteed a good evening’s entertainment.
His voice as ever was perfect, and boy could he do the dance moves as well.
But it takes more than one person to pull off a show, so take a bow the chorus whose combined voices made for some truly spine-tingling moments, especially in the scenes of adulation for Eva.
Everyone knows ‘Don’t Cry for me Argentina’ to the extent it tends to overshadow the other numbers in the show, so it was delightful to hear Rhiannon Lee Street’s rendition of ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’.
Pitch perfect it sent me scurrying for the Barbara Dickson original when I got home. And yes, it stood fair comparison with the Seventies hit!
Super chef Paul Mitchell once again shone, this time in the role of Agustin Magaldi, the man who ‘discovered’ Eva Duarte, while Ritchie Smith brought real gravitas to the part of Juan Peron, the president of Argentina who became her husband.
And what about Eva herself? well, Sophie Grogan’s performance gripped and dominated the production throughout.
Her stage presence demanded attention and there was no denying this was her show.
Those top notes certainly put her voice to the test – ROS have cast two Evas for the run – but she came through with her head held high – a truly bravura performance.
Her acting was superb too and the emotion she brought to the part, particularly in the finale, tore at the heart strings.
Evita runs until this Saturday, November 25 and no wonder tickets are selling like hotcakes – get yours before they’re all gone.
Ross Crawford
