Last weekend was the premiere of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Evita’ at the Woodlawn Theatre.  Eva Perón was the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón.  ‘Evita’ chronicles her true life story from childhood, rise to power, charity work and death.  She rose from the slums of Argentina to the presidential mansion as First Lady and became one of the most powerful women in the world.  Even though she was loved by the general public it was her greed, outsized ambition and fragile health that made her life a tragic one.

The story begins in a cinema in Buenos Aires as the press secretary announces Evita’s death.  The atmosphere turns somber as the company sings “Requiem” and the city is in mourning.  One of the perks of seeing a show at the Woodlawn is the creativity that brings the show to the audience.  In this case the mourners pour through the theater from the audience and the casket is carried down the center aisle.  This makes it feel like the audience is present at the funeral. The cynical narrator Che, portrayed by Travis Treviño, takes over on “Oh, What a Circus” to notate the hysteria sweeping the nation following her death.  His performance gives the role the authority it needs to keep the story going.  Lauren Wertz-James’ turn as Evita is just as striking and does the character justice.

There were some sound issues at Saturday’s performance but hopefully they were fixed in time for this weekend.  Musical standouts include “A New Argentina” when Juan Perón is elected president and it ends Act I with a ‘power to the people’ feel.  As soon as Act II began the audience grew quiet and the anticipation grew on the heels of the iconic “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and it did not disappoint; neither did the gorgeous dress that Wertz-James wore for the scene.  There is no dialogue but the singing and dancing are excellent and when combined with the costumes and settings the result is a must see musical. ‘Evita’ runs until Sunday September 11 with show times on Friday and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m.  Tickets range from $17 to $26 and are available online.