The Rainbow Tour :: San Diego Rep's 'Evita'

The world has been fascinated by the short, but accomplished and ambitious, life of Eva Per�n, and rightly so. Coming from a small town of working class poor, Per�n made it to the big city of Buenos Aires at 15. She became a major radio and stage star by age 22, the President's mistress at 24, First Lady of Argentina at 27 and an Ambassador on the world stage at 28. Ultimately, in 1951, she ran for Vice President at age 32 and, after a battle with cervical cancer, died at age 33. There's much drama and conflict in all of this of course, the makings of an absorbing, intriguing story.

Her life inspired a masterpiece from the esteemed duo Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. San Diego's twosome has Director Sam Woodhouse teamed with Javier Velasco, who is handling the musical staging, telling Eva Per�n's unforgettable story. Since first appearing on Broadway in 1979, "Evita" has amassed more than 20 major awards. The score features some of the most beloved songs in musical theatre history, including "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," "Rainbow Tour," and "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."

Marisa Matthews has been cast in the role of Eva, she believes this is one of the most challenging and demanding roles out there. "I'm always up for a challenge. I first heard the score a few years ago and I loved it. Not everyone can sing it. I thought to myself, 'I can, I will and I want to.' 'Evita' is so
interesting because it is the story of a true historical person. Eva was one of the most powerful political activists in her county, in the 1940s. She had the balls and the desire to help the working-class people. She fought against the aristocracy and the military. She ensured women's rights, vacations for workers, more public spending," offers Matthews, continuing, "The question of course is, was she doing it out of a true desire to help others, or was she doing it for glory? She was a true beast and formidable, but she also lavished in furs and celebrity. The audience has different feelings for her at different times, she really was a fascinating woman."

Matthews grew up as, "the smallest girl with the biggest voice." But she focused on straight plays in the graduate program at The American Conservatory Theatre. After heading to Broadway, she rediscovered musicals. "I started to wonder why I had been hiding my voice. I am thankful to New York for bringing musical theatre back into my life. I guess I needed to learn acting techniques to weave together with my voice."

She has carefully prepared to tell Eva's story, "Her youthful vibrancy is fun to play-we have all had that feeling-to burst out, move away from home and take on the world. Her aging occurs very naturally in the show, through montages. When she finds out she has cervical cancer, that she is going to die, she does not give up and we see someone fighting against reality. Playing that is what I am interested in, fighting against pain, walking when I can't stand, going for the Vice President role. In playing Eva, I am dying with a light in my eyes and that is both interesting and heartbreaking. Her lament and reflection is the most vulnerable moment she has on stage with the audience. As an actor, it feels so freeing to be that naked, figuratively, on stage. I get to speak openly to the audience. What Director Sam Woodhouse has encouraged is that the audience are my lovers, they are Argentina, and I have to justify what I am doing, I have to share with them, as the mother of Argentina."

Thrilled to be playing Eva for the first time, Matthews says she is thankful to Woodhouse. "Sam is an actor's director and my process comes from
a very actor-oriented point of view. I think about actions and objectives and what I need to accomplish in a scene. He is a strong director, creating something special."

SD Rep's production of "Evita" runs now through Sunday, August
27 at the Lyceum Stage in Horton Plaza. For tickets and more information call 619.544.1000, or go to sdrep.org.