This is a continuation of my journey into musicals (I discussed Juno and Avos last time).
In the early 1990s I was mesmerized by Evita, a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Let’s take a small detour and talk about Andrew Lloyd Webber. Webber composed Evita, Jesus Christ Super Star, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, and many other musicals. In 2001 the New York Times called him “the most commercially successful composer in history.” What is interesting is that Webber composed another dozen musicals that saw the light of day for only a very short time and were then consigned to obscurity. Failure is an important constant of success, even for creative giants like Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (he was knighted by the Queen in 1992).
If you’d like to relive Webber’s best musicals and meet Sir Genius, watch this three-part concert:
Evita is a musical about Eva “Evita” Peron. Eva comes from a poor family in Argentina. She meets Juan Peron – a future three-time president of Argentina. During Peron’s presidency Argentina fell in love with Evita. Evita tragically dies of cancer at the tender age of 33. A lot of political events happen in between and some romance, but this sums up the musical. I must admit, I am somewhat indifferent to the story line of this musical. I don’t see many redeeming qualities in Juan Peron. And unlike Argentina, I did not fall in love with Evita. But I love the music. Pop singer Madonna and Antonio Banderas did a terrific job starring in the 1996 movie.
Here are my favorite songs:
