“Don’t cry for me, Argentina.” You probably know the melody, and if you’ve seen the show, you know the iconic pose with upraised forearms struck by actress after actress playing Eva Duarte Peron, the beloved leader of the Argentine masses during her brief life. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice made her story one of the most powerful works of music theater of the 1970s and 1980s, a lyrical tragedy about a woman who rose from poverty to a place of power, married to the nation’s president — then died at age 33 of cancer.
But was she good for Argentina or a manipulative self-aggrandizer? That’s the issue explored by this complex show. It’s a tough piece to do well, since the title character must evolve from an ambitious girl of 15 to a world-recognized if controversial figure at 33: Patti LuPone won her first Tony Award for the role, and she had the acting chops required. This weekend UC’s College-Conservatory of Music presents Evita in the Corbett Auditorium with a student cast, but they’re up to the task: Many of them will be performing on Broadway in the years ahead, and this show will demonstrate their talent in the making. Through Sunday. $17-$29. 513-556-4183.
Go here for show times and venue details.
