★★★★★

Venue: Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Production Run: Tues 9 - Saturday 13 May 2017

Performance Reviewed: Wed 10 May (Press Night)

Throw the question of which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is his best offering into a ring of theatre enthusiasts, and you’d best brace yourself for tempers, if not outright violence. Even pushing aside the naysaying hipsters and Lin-Manuel obsessives, a consensus would be an unlikely thing to reach. For some, the irrepressible character and vignetted charm of Cats would claw out the competition, and in fairness there’s always an argument to be made for ‘Memory’ being his most iconic standard, whilst Phantom and Jesus have fans by the droves. Sunset Boulevard has enjoyed a renaissance of late, thanks in no small part to Glenn Close’s triumphant return to the role of Norma Desmond, and you’ll always have a merry handful of Love Never Dies or Starlight Express defenders.

They would all, however, be wrong. 

Evita remains, to this day, Lloyd Webber’s finest outing.

It is thanks, of course, in no small part due to it being one of his iconic collaborations with lyricist Tim Rice, whose sharp, witty and biting wordplay elevates practically every scene, number and exchange. Evita is famously unforgiving with its subject; Eva Peron by way of Lloyd Webber and Rice is depicted as a manipulative opportunist - her rise from the gutter to becoming one of the most powerful, defining and iconic women of the 21st Century is undercut here with a clear sense of cunning and venom. By the time Act 2 rolls around, and the ‘money comes rolling in’, even Peron’s philanthropic and charity efforts are suggested to have been for underhanded financial and political gain.

You’ve got to get your Eva right, then. Too obvious or wretched and the whole show risks being an endurance fest with a detestable lead. Too sweet or ambiguous and the show loses its boldness (see Madonna’s vanilla attempt in the 1996 film adaptation). Sure, she’s propped up by some amazing numbers such as the iconic ‘Don’t Cry for me Argentina’ and ‘Buenos Aires’, but she also has to get her lungs around some of the gruelling vocal demands of ‘A New Argentina’ and ‘Rainbow High’.

Enter Emma Hatton.

Stepping into the reigns for this latest touring production by Bill Kenwright, which for all intents and purposes remains identical to its last outing back in 2014, Hatton hits the ground running with a truly soaring take on ‘Buenos’, and it’s only up from there. The show jumps through Eva’s short yet remarkable life with a whippet pace, and Hatton steers the ship masterfully with a confident, charismatic performance that straddles the aforementioned Peron balance perfectly. Hatton already has a successful tenure as Elphaba on her resumé, and in Evita she’s conquered another of the musical theatre grand dames with real confidence and relish. Kenwright should keep her close; good luck finding someone who can belt out those ‘Rainbow High’ refrains so powerfully, or the haunting beauty with which she handles 'Lament'.

He would be similarly wise to keep hold of the show’s other stellar asset - Gian Marco Schiaretti, who is this tour’s answer to narrator ‘Che’. Kevin Stephen-Jones is a warm, dignified presence on stage as Eva’s husband, Colonel - later president - Peron, but it is Schiaretti who really shines alongside Hatton. Capturing a raw, barely repressed fire that erupts from his overseer Che with real ferocity and masculinity, not to mention at times astonishing vocals (just wait for the finale of ‘And The Money Keeps Rolling In’), Schiaretti posits himself as a real talent to watch, and is a perfect reason to revisit Evita should you still be recovering from any Marti Pellow hang-ups. 

When you’ve got an Eva and Che this good, and they can belt out Webber’s music and Rice’s words with such clout and conviction, there’s very little ease that needs saying. As mentioned, this is the same imposing, effective staging work by Matthew Wright and Mark Howett as we’ve seen before, and it’s lost none of its splendour or impact. Bill Deamer’s sharp choreography bandies between more full-on, conventional ensemble numbers such as ‘Buenos’ and ‘And The Money’, which are welcome interludes from the otherwise savvy, characterful work he does in setting the show’s political and personal power plays to dance (‘The Art of the Possible’, ’Peron’s Latest Flame’).

In 2014, Kenwright’s UK Tour of Evita was a five star, must-see event. Fast forward a few years, and whilst it is for all intents and purposes much the same production, it easily just as essential an experience, with a truly belting (in every sense) new Eva in Emma Hatton, and a real star-is-born turn from Schiaretti as Che.

Oh, and did I mention it’s Lloyd Webber’s best musical, too?

I’m off to hide before the ‘Phandoms’ come at me.

RATING - ★★★★★

Tickets: 01902 429 212  / Official Website: click