STUDY GUIDE

Evita documents in song and dance María Eva Duarte’s transformation into Evita Perón. Eva grew up in a small town in rual Argentina. She was neither particularly bright in her studies nor particularly talented, but at a young age she resolved to become a famous actress. At age fifteen, she left her family to pursue a career on the stage in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city. Despite her middling artistic merit, Eva’s photogenic looks made her prime fodder for tabloid features. She was allegedly romantically linked to several producers and businessmen, but her last and most famous liason was with the Colonel Juan Perón, the poster child of the Argentine army. Up until her relationship with Perón, Eva had held no political leanings, but upon becoming his mistress, she was vaulted into the political spotlight. Perón was elected president in 1946 and suddenly Eva had access to unprecedented power and wealth. At Perón’s side she became a prominent figure on the Argentine political scene, achieving as first lady the fame that had alluded her as an actress. With just a ―touch of star quality‖ and a ton of tenacity, Eva became Evita, a woman worshiped and adored by the masses.

A N D R E W L L O Y D W E B B E R A N D T I M R I C E

EVITA

THE CREATORS:

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER &

TIM RICE

THE COMPOSER

Easily one of the most successful composers of our time, Andrew Lloyd Webber has made extensive contributions to the world of musical theatre. Much like the heroes of the rags-to-riches musicals that gave him his start, Lloyd Webber emerged from humble beginnings with a dream and a drive that propelled him to international acclaim. Andrew Lloyd Webber was born March 22, 1948. The double surname ―Lloyd Webber,‖ though it sounds imposing, connotes no eminence: his father William Southcombe Lloyd Webber began using his middle name as a second surname in college to distinguish himself from another William Webber on campus. Though his father warned him against a music career, Andrew soon developed a passion for the stage. He constructed a toy theatre on which he would mount his own miniature productions using toy soldiers as players. After highschool, Andrew enrolled at Oxford to study history, but spent only one term there before dropping out to pursue a career as a composer. In 1965, he received an introductory letter from Tim Rice, a young lyricist who was interested in writing pop music. Though Tim had never seen a musical, the two young men teamed up and began a collaboration which would come to define both of their careers.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

In 1968, Andrew and Tim got their big break. They were commissioned by Andrew’s little brother’s preparatory school to compose a pop cantata to be performed for parents at the end of the term. The cantata, entitled Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, opened to the delight of the parents, and a favorable review in the newspapaer.

Lloyd Webber and Rice’s next project, Jesus Christ Superstar! began as a concept album and ended up as the longest-running musical to be staged on the West End. Jesus Christ Superstar! established Lloyd Webber and Rice as formidable contenders in the world of musical theatre and set their careers up for success. Their last collaboration together, Evita, was another hit and has enjoyed numerous

revivals since the original production in 1978. Lloyd Webber and Rice eventually parted ways, devoting themselves to separate projects. From 1975 to the present Andrew Lloyd Webber has been prolific, churning out twelve original musicals, including the wildly popular Cats, Phantom of the Opera,

and Sunset Boulevard, in addition to various non-theatrical musical works. Many of Lloyd Webbers musicals have been made into films, recently including the movie version of Phantom of the Opera starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum.

Lloyd Webber has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, three Grammy

Awards, seven Tony Awards, seven Laurence Olivier Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Almost fifty years after writing a pop cantata to be sung by children, Andrew Lloyd Webber has become one of the most prominent composers of musical theatre. His shows are continual successes world-round. This assiduous composer promises his audiences more music, more life, and more theatre.

THE LYRICIST

Though Tim Rice fully intended to pursue a career in law, he had always wanted to be a pop musician. In the mid-1960s, Rice approached the head of a publishing company about writing a pop history book. The publisher was not interested in Rice’s book idea, but he did put the young man in contact with Andrew Lloyd Webber, thinking that perhaps Rice’s skills as a lyricist would be beneficial to the young composer. Rice and Lloyd Webber connected and musical theatre history was made. Though their initial project The Likes of Us was not a success, Rice and Lloyd Webber struck musical theatre gold with the pop cantata Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, originally composed as an end of the year performance for Andrew’s little brother’s prepatory

school. After the success of Joseph, Rice gave up his other lines of work to focus on his musical career with Lloyd Webber. After the success ofJesus Christ, Superstar!Lloyd Webber wanted to work on a musical adapted from P.G. Wodehouse’s beloved tales of Jeeves the Butler, but Tim Rice had become enamored with the idea of a musical about the glamorous life of Eva Perón and the murky world of Argentine politics. The hit musical Evita became the pair’s next project, opening in 1978. It was later made into a movie starring Madonna. Rice and Lloyd Webber won an Oscar for the song ―You Must Love Me‖ written for the film.

After Evita Rice and Lloyd Webber went their separate ways. Rice collaborated with various other composers to create the musicals Blondel, and Chess.

Realizing the wide appeal of his lyrics, the Walt Disney franchise hired Tim Rice to collaborate with Elton John to create the music for The Lion King. Rice then paired up with Alan Menken to finish the songs of Disney’s Aladdin. The song ―A Whole New World‖ from Aladdin garnered an Oscar, and two songs from The Lion King went on to become hits. After working with Alan Menken to write several new songs for the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast, Rice and Elton John once again joined forces to convert a Verdi opera into a rock musical. The highly

successful musical Aida was produced in 1998. In addition to his contributions to Hollywood and Broadway, Rice founded a publishing company and co-authored a series of books on pop music. His extensive knowledge of all things pop culture made him a popular guest on trivia shows, radio interviews, and documentaries; in 1985, he was even declared ―Rock Brain of the Universe‖!

Tim Rice’s vast talent for pairing words with music has earned him much critical esteem: he has received four Tonys, three Oscars, an induction into the Disney Hall of Fame, an induction into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. His lyrics continue to speak to audiences, and his contribution to pop music is considerable.

A HISTORY OF THE

PRODUCTION

After Jesus Christ Superstar! had become a certified success in Britain and abroad, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice began searching for fodder to fuel a new project. After listening to a radio broadcast about the life of Eva Perón one evening while driving home, Tim Rice was convinced that a musical rendition of the first lady of Argentina’s rise to fame would be a sure hit. Andrew Lloyd Webber had other ideas. Unable to convince his partner, Rice jetted off alone to Buenos Aires, Argentina to research the blonde political megastar that had so captured his imagination. A few years later in 1975, Lloyd Webber sought reconciliation with Rice and agreed to follow Rice’s instincts on Evita. Rice was already prepared with a script and rudimentary lyrics. The duo decided to follow the tried and true formula of their previous successes and construct Evita as a through-composed musical, telling the story entirely through song with no breaks for dialogue. Lloyd Webber matched Rice’s lyrics with a full-bodied score that was truly a high point for his compositional talents up to that time. As with Jesus Christ Superstar! before it, Evita was released as a concept album long before a production was even considered. After the album’s release in 1976, ―Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina‖ reached number one on British pop charts. On June 21, 1978, Evita opened at the Prince Edward Theatre of London’s West End and was almost immediately a success. Debates over whether or not the musical deserved the ―opera‖ label Lloyd Webber so obdurately pushed, whether or not Elaine Paige was convincing as in the title role, whether

ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS

or not Prince’s neo-Brechtian staging was too simplistic, and whether or not the show glamorized fascism only added to its appeal. Evita went on to open in the United States, first in San Francisco and at the Broadway Theatre in New York. The show ran for 1,567 performances and garnered seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Grammy for the cast album.

THE FILM

From the time of the London opening, there had been talk of making Evita into a movie. Though enthusiasm for the project was plentiful, it was put on hold for many years due to studio complications. Finally, after nearly twenty years of corporate banter and executive flip-flopping, studio backing and a director were accrued. Evita was ready to go into production…almost. The final question remained: who was to play Evita? The film had passed through the hands of almost ten directors, and each had had a different idea of the ideal Evita. In the early 80’s the first choices for Evita and Che had been Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro.

Elaine Paige, the West End’s break-out Evita, was screen-tested but in the end deemed too pure to play the part on film. Liza Minnelli, Diane Keaton, and Michelle Pheiffer were all considered. When director Alan Parker at last got hold of the film, he cast the winning combination: Madonna as ―Eva Perón‖ and Antonio Banderas as ―Che.‖ The road had been long, but in 1995 the movie version of Evita could at last move into principal photography.

By the time filming began, the Argentine government had been convinced to allow shooting in the city of Buenos Aires. Though at first the die-hard Peronists in Argentina were opposed to the idea of a notorious American pop star playing ―Santa Evita,‖ Madonna managed to win over the people. Argentina’s president even allowed the crew two days to film in the Casa Rosada (Argentina’s White House), with citizens of Buenos Aires cast as extras in the crowd scenes. The estimated cost for the film was $56 million. After almost two decades of planning, the actual filming took less than a year, wrapping in May of 1996.

Within the first week of its release, Evita reached number two at the box office, and grossed a total of $50,047,179. Singles from the movie highlights album, including ―Do Not Cry for Me, Argentina‖, ―Another Suitcase in Another Hall‖, and the Oscar-winning ―You Must Love Me‖ (composed specifically for the movie), enjoyed time on the Billboard Charts and on the MTV video circuit. A dance mix of ―Do Not Cry for Me, Argentina‖ became especially popular. Interestingly, Evita won Madonna a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for ―Most Costume Changes in a Movie.‖ The film won three of five Golden Globe nominations and one of five Oscar nominations. The film solidified the popularity of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical and seared Eva Perón’s image in the greater Western consciousness.

THE REVIVAL

In 2006, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production company The Really Useful Theatre Group, staged a revival of Evita at the Adelphi Theater on London’s West End. The production held the expressed goal of bringing Evita closer to its Latin roots. Lloyd Webber tweaked the orchestration to give it more South American spice. Also in keeping with this purpose, Argentine actress Elena Roger was brought on to play the iconic title role. Her fiery performance won much acclaim—she was awarded an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She has been booked to perform as Evita in the Broadway production tentatively set to open in coming years. The West End revival was nominated for four Olivier Awards and four Evening Standard Awards.

"Evita (1996)." Box Office Mojo. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=evita.htm>.

"Evita (1996)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 04 June 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116250/>.

"Evita." Sir Tim Rice. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://www.timrice.co.uk/evita.html>.

Gans, Andrew. "Is Evita Revival Heading to Broadway? - Playbill.com." Playbill: Broadway, Off-Broadway, London News, Listings and Tickets. Web.

04 June 2010. <http://www.playbill.com/news/article/137223-Is-Evita-Revival-Heading-to-Broadway>.

Walsh, Michael. Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works : a Critical Biography. New York: Abrams, 1997. Print.

Madonna in Alan Parker’s EVITA

JUST A LITTLE TOUCH OF

STAR QUALITY

The musical Evita presents a cynical yet multifaceted examination of the meteoric rise of the real-life Eva Perón from obscurity to prestige. But in the case of Evita, not only does art imitate life--the musical has its basis in actual historic events--life imitates art: the musical has reputation for vaulting it’s leading lady from unknown status to super-stardom.

EVITA: STAR MAKER

THE WEST END:ELAINE PAIGE

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice initially offered the role of Evita Julie Covington who had sung the part in the initial recording. Despite their pleas, Covington pointedly refused the role and the creative team began looking for a plan B

leading lady.

In his production notes from Jesus Christ Superstar! Andrew Lloyd Webber had noted that ―the third angel sings well.‖ The third angel‖ was Elaine Paige, a relatively unknown actress who after performing in the chorus of Superstar! had been acting in bit roles in commercials. The not-quite-five-foot blonde sang ―Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina‖ at her audition, impressing Lloyd Webber with her big mezzo voice. She was quickly instated in the lead role. At Evita’s premiere, the audience gave Paige a ten minute standing ovation at her curtain call. The role catapulted her to stardom, garnering her an 1978 Olivier Award for Best Actress in A Musical. Evita was just the beginning for Paige: other performances include Cats, Chess, Sunset Boulevard, The King and I, Sweeney Todd, and most recently, The Drowsy Chaperone. Like the character she played in Evita, Elaine Paige worked her way up from little known chorus girl to first

lady of British musical theatre.

BROADWAY:PATTI LUPONE

After the wildly successful London showing, Evita’s creators and producers had hopes to recreate the victory Stateside. Because of the American actor’s union’s rules, Elaine Paige could not be cast in the Broadway production. Heated speculation arose as to who the Broadway Evita would be, with prospects ranging from Raquel Welch to Meryl Streep to Charo. The final selection came as a shock to many. Patti LuPone, a largely unrecognized actress from Long Island, came to her final callback wet and bedraggled from a New York blizzard. The snowdrifts couldn’t dampen her voice, however, and she was cast as Eva. Evita became an iconic role for LuPone, winning her a 1979 Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. She followed her success in Evita with an Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in Les Miserables and a Tony Award-winning performance as Rose in Gypsy. Evita marked a turning point in LuPone’s career. Like with Elaine Paige before her, Evita became LuPone’s Cinderella story.

THE REP:MARIA EBERLINE

Meet Maria Eberline, star of The Rep’s 2010 production of Evita! Originally from San Diego, California, Maria first became interested in performing after watching a broadcast of The Nutcracker ballet on television. Her first role was the Fairy Godmother in Christian Youth Theater’s production of Cinderella, and her passion for musical theatre grew ever since. She attended the University of California in Los Angeles where she received her degree in theater. She has since performed many roles—from Pocahontas in a musical review at Disneyland to Nessarose and Elphaba in Wicked—and appeared in many famous venues such as the La Jolla Playhouse. The Rep is delighted to welcome her as our leading lady in Evita.

WE’LL PUT ON A SHOW...

In any musical, dance is a very important part of the show. The choreographer is the person who creates all the dance numbers in a production. We caught up with Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, the choreographer of The Rep’s staging of Evita, to ask her a few questions about the movements she has created for the musical.

Q. How would you describe the "Lynne Kurdziel-Formato style of

dance"?What influences do you draw from when choreographing?

A. I like to think of myself as a storyteller and researcher so I personally love the

work of Jerome Robbins who would morph and adapt his style according to the needs of script and character. I also love the sensuality, sizzle and daring of Bob Fosse. I try to approach my work with a directors sensibility, and to utilize whatever dance idiom from ballet to jazz to social dance suits the world of our production.

Q. Argentina possesses a rich music and dance tradition influenced by the cultures of

South American, Europe, and even Africa. Which types of dance do you plan to incorporate into Evita's choreography?

A.As a jazz dancer I love Latin and African influences in particular. The tango, samba

and mambo are definitely found in ―Evita,‖ the freedom of the African use of the torso is utilized by the descamisados, and I will also honor the distinctly European rhythms such as the march for the soldiers and the minuet of the aristocrats.

Q. Though set in South America, Evita's score is definitely more Lloyd-Webber than

Latin. Does this aspect serve as an inspiration or a challenge?

Q. What excites you about this project? What do you hope Evita will achieve?

A. Every score is both challenge and inspiration for a choreographer because the mu-

sic and lyrics are always theatricalized to pace and present the material in a concise and engaging way to the audience. I will try to create choreography that suits both the characters, time period and the score as always.

A. I am excited to be back at the Rep, and working at a top notch regional theatre

that produces its own work, and not reconstructions. I am excited to be working with Cliff and our VERY talented cast. I love the score, and Eva Peron is a fascinating person. I hope Evita will excite and entertain our audience with a great night in the theatre, maybe inspire them to read more about Eva herself, or this historical period. One of the things I love most about theatre is being constantly immersed in other people, places, times and worlds!

RAINBOW HIGH:

THE LIFE OF EVA PERÓN

I WANNA BE A PART OF B.A. : THE EARLY DAYS

Eva was born the youngest of five children to a seamstress in the tiny town of Los Toldos in rual Argentina. Her mother Juana Ibarguren was the mistress of Juan Duarte, and for this reason neither Eva nor her siblings were legally recognized by their father, though they used his surname. She grew up in the undistinguished town of Junín, where she attended the local grade school. She was neither particularly bright in her studies nor particularly talented, but at a young age she resolved to become a famous actress. In 1935, at the age of fifteen, Eva left her family to pursue an acting career in

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. For many years she struggled on the stage, appearing in minor roles with various companies. She was cast in bit parts in a few films and eventually achieved a measure of success in Argentine radio soap operas. Though her impact on the artistic scene in Buenos Aires was minimal, Eva Duarte did manage to make quite the name for herself in the tabloids. Magazines like Sintonia

had a wide readership that followed the comings and goings of stars and would-be stars. Eva’s photogenic looks made her prime fodder for features documenting the dinner dates kept by young starlets. Eva was fabled to be linked with several men throughout the early years of her career, though many of the alleged affairs were probably fabricated to sell magazines.

Pictured above: Adolescent María Eva Duarte, Eva in a school pageant (second from left), Eva at her confirmation. To the right: Eva Duarte’s acting headshot

ROLLING, ROLLING, ROLLING:POLITICAL LIFE

When Eva Duarte met Juan Perón, however, her life took a dramatic turn. Due to his good looks and willingness to talk to the press, Perón acted as the front man for the Argentine military and was very much in the public eye. Eva soon became Perón’s mistress. She had never before held any particular political leanings, but after alligning herself with the charismatic colonel, she began to involve herself in his public life. Perón’s popularity was demonstrated on October 17 of 1945, when hundreds of thousands of workers marched on the Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada in his support. When Perón announced his candidacy for the Argentine presidency, Eva was thrust into the limelight as never before. After pressure from military officials and social elite, the two finally married. María Eva Duarte de Perón, as she was then known, became an intrinsic part of her husband’s presidential campaign. Upon his election, she

became the unofficial face of the Peronist party. She used her ostensibly apolitical position as first lady to spread propoganda in support of Perón’s governmental programs and to attack his opponents. Eva remade herself, altering her bearing to a more glamorous style that she felt was better befitting a first lady. She reveled in jewels and designer clothes. The summer of 1947, armed with hair stylists and dressers, Eva set out on her ―Rainbow Tour‖ of Europe. The publicity tour’s expressed goal was to represent the Argentine presidency. Eva traveled through Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland, holding audience with all the major political powers and royal families of Europe before returning to a warm welcome home in Buenos Aires. Pictured above: First Lady Eva in Dior.

To the right: President and First Lady

Though the rich uppercrust of Argentine society considered the Peróns—especially Evita—trash with money, the president and his wife won the support of the labor unions and the working class. The lower classes adored Eva, who continually emphasized her poverty-stricken childhood and working class past. Her charity projects and emphasis on social justice further venerated Eva Perón in the eyes of the Argentine poor. As Eva began to take herself and her work more seriously she again underwent an outward transformation, trading her evening gowns and pompadours for suits and sleek chignons. She sought votes for women, welfare for children, and more rights for workers. As founder of Eva Perón Foundation, Evita oversaw many public service

projects which ranged in size and scope from building hospitals to organizing a children’s soccer league to procuring a new bed for an elderly widow. The Foundation was officially funded by the government, but it coerced donations from various manufacturers and

industries. According to the principles of Peronism, redistribution of wealth—forced or otherwise—was a way of meteing out social justice. The Foundation kept no financial records.

Evita demanded much from the Foundation’s workers, but she asked of them no more than what she herself was willing to give: often she slept only two hours a night. Eva was known to sit in her office the majority of the day to receive those in need of ―direct aid.‖ She spoke with the common people, made jokes with those who came to her with requests, and sent everyone away with fifty pesos and a pink slip ordering what they needed.

Pictured above, clockwise: Eva giving speeches, Eva at work for her

Foundation.

Top right: Official portrait of Eva Perón

Her popularity reached its height on August 22, 1950, when a crowd of over a million demanded her canidacy for the vice presidency at a political rally for her husband’s reelection. The thought of a woman invested with so much official political power was anathema to other government officials. Indeed, Perón himself felt his wife’s popularity encroaching on his own. In reaction to the pressures surrounding her canidacy, Eva renounced

the people’s nomination on August 31, 1950 via radio broadcast. That day came to be celebrated by the common people as a commemoration of Eva’s humility and devotion to her causes. Though she had denied the vicepresidency, Eva was awarded many other honors and titles, including ―Spiritual Leader of the Nation.‖ While she seemed to be at the height of her power

in 1950-1951, behind the scenes all was not well. For almost a year, Eva had been suffering from an undiagnosesed illness, which proved to be cancer. She pushed herself to continue working and making appearances, but her health was rapidly declining. Her very public death in 1952 at the age of thirty-three was cause for national mourning. Over two thousand people were treated in Buenos Aires hospitals for injuries sustained in the rush to see the first lady’s body. The flower shops in Buenos Aires ran out of flowers as funeral bouquets were piled in the city streets. Argentina held a nation-wide wake for Evita. Her body was displayed to the public for over two weeks.

Pictured above: Perón-Perón presidential rally, Eva renounces vice-presidency Below: Evita in her prime.

PERÓN’S LATEST FLAME:

THE MEN OF EVITA

AGUSTÍN MAGALDI

In Evita the musical, and in popular legend, Agustín Magaldi is credited with first sweeping young Eva off her feet and into the big city. In reality, the circumstances surrounding Eva Perón’s arrival in Buenos Aires are hazy at best. Agustín Magaldi was a very popular tango singer at the time, second only to the famous Carlos Gardel. Though his onstage persona was slick, suave, and masculine, in real life he was slightly chubby and highly devoted to his mother. The myth that he was seduced and used by young Evita is unlikely--he was known to bring his wife on tour with him. Furthermore, there is no record of him performing in the town of Junín in 1935. If he had any role at all in Eva’s move, he might have provided her with letters of introduction or given her advice about different studios and radio stations.

JUAN PERÓN

After an early military education and officer training, Juan Domingo Perón rose through the ranks of the army, making a series of strategically advantageous political alliances through the 1920’s and 1930’s—tumultuous times for the Argentine government. By the early 1940’s, Perón had been appointed Secretary of the Department of Labor. He revo-lutionized the labor union system in Argentina, thereby ex-panding his support base beyond the military and into the working classes. When an earthquake destroyed the town of San Juan, Ar-gentina in 1944, Perón was put in charge of organizing a gala fundraiser for the relief efforts. It was at this gala that Colonel Perón met the actress Eva Duarte. He was forty-eight. She was twenty-five.

Eva set about involving herself in Perón’s political life. From the outset of their rela-tionship she sat in on his meetings with advisors and collegues—often to the disgrun-tlement of the other officials. She internalized Perón’s every doctrine. The pair lived their life very much in the public spotlight, with the adoration of the lower classes who idolized them and their glamorous lifestyle. In Evita, Perón gained a beautiful mouthpiece for his dogmas. She lent an emotional aspect to his campaigns, often vocalizing passionate rhetoric that would have been inappropriate coming from him. The Peróns’ regime was rife with scandal and allegeded corruptions. The cou-ple’s political enemies were legion. However, Juan and Evita always presented a united front—two leaders together striving for the cause of the Argentine descamisa-dos. In a mutually beneficial fashion, each partner aided in boosting the other’s ca-reer. They created an image and an era.

CHE

In Evita, Che acts as the narrator of the story, leading the audience through the action and lending his own commentary on the events. The character in the musical is modeled after Che Guevara, a Marxist revolutionary from Argentina. After traveling extensively throughout South America and witnessing the desolate conditions of the poor, Guevara became convinced of the evils of capitalism and imperialism. He was instrumental in the Cuban socialist revolution, and later assisted in similar uprisings in the Congo in Bolivia. Before being captured and executed by the C.I.A. in 1967, Guevara penned many memoirs, political analyses and military treatises. His name and image are now iconic.

HELLO, BUENOS AIRES!

The story of Evita takes place in Argentina, the second largest nation in South America. Before the land was colonized by the Spanish in the mid 1500s, Argentina was home to several native people groups including the Guaraní and the Inca. After the colonial period, Argentina declared its independence from Spain on July 9, 1816. Due to the land’s abundant natural resources Argentina emerged as a major trader in raw goods shipping beef, precious metals, and other agricultural products to leading European nations, especially England.

Early in its history, people considered Argentina to be the United States of South America. Like the United States, the country was largely made up of immigrants who came to the New World looking for a better life. After winning its independence, Argentina seemed to be following the same democratic path the U.S. had taken years earlier.A variety of factors impeded this development, however, most notably the rise of the oligarchy, or landed class who came to control almost all of the country’s capital. Argentine society became highly stratified with a large gap existing between the very rich and the very poor. Economic and social tensions led to considerable

political conflicts throughout the twentieth century. It was during this time that Juan and Eva Perón came on the scene in the late 1940s-1950s. After their rule, Argentina once again fell into political turmoil, culminating in dark years of state-sponsored terrorism from 1970-1983. Since the years of the Guerra Sucia or Dirty War, as that period is called, the Argentine government has regrouped and power has been restored to the people. Though the nation’s economy remains unsteady, Argentina is a stable democracy.

ARGENTINA

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina. Located on the eastern coast of the country on the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, Buenos Aires has functioned for centuries as a major port city and also has served as an entrance point for the millions of immigrants entering Argentina. During the height of Argentina’s power, Buenos Aires was considered one of the most important cities in the New World, the Paris of South America. Buenos Aires is home to many of Argentina’s national landmarks including the Casa Rosada (the seat of the Argentine government), the Obelisk, the Teatro Colón (a world famous opera house), the Plaza de Mayo, and the Nuevo de Juilo Avenue (the widest street in the world!). The citizens of Buenos Aires are intensely proud of their city’s culture and refer to themselves as porteños. The city has been home to many famous Argentines, including Carlos Gardel and Jorge Luis Borges. In her time, Evita Perón also made the city her own. Political capital and cultural center, Buenos Aires is truly the heart of Argentine civilization.

GEOGRAPHY: Eighth largest country in the world. Four major regions include: the Andes Mountains in the west, the fertile central plains known as the Pampas, the subtropical Gran Chaco in the north,

and oil rich Patagonia in the south.

CLIMATE: Subtropical in the North, temperate in the

central region, and sub polar in the extreme South.

POPULATION: 15,893,811 in 1947. 40,134,425 in 2009.

GOVERNMENT: Democracy.

RELIGION: Mostly Roman Catholic.

FOOD: Empanadas (fried stuffed pastries), yerba mate (the national beverage, a tea made from indigenous plants and sipped from a special container), and

dulce de leche (a sweet milk caramel spread).

SPORTS: The official national sport is pato, a game similar to polo, but the most popular is fútbol or

soccer.

FAMOUS FOR: Tango, the singer Carlos Gardel, the

writer Jorge Luis Borges, and of course Evita Perón.

ARGENTINA QUICK FACTS BUENOS AIRES

Pictured left to right: El Teatro Colón, La Casa Rosada, Nuevo de Julio Avenue, and La Boca district of Buenos Aires.

DE LOS DESCAMISADOS...

VOCABULARIO

The people of Argentina speak a type of Spanish they refer to as castellano. Throughout the performance today, you will see and hear snatches of Spanish words and phrases. Use the glossary below to see if you can decode some of the castellano phrases that appear in Evita and perhaps even construct a sentence or two yourself!

Actriz– n. actress

Aristócrata-n. aristocrat

Ayudar-to help

Dar– v.to give

Descamisado-n., adj. literally,

―shirtless.‖ This word is used to

refer to Argentina’s working poor.

Dinero-n. money

Ejército-n. army

Estilo– n. style

Gente-n. people

Gobierno-n. government

Joya-n. jewel

Madre-n. mother

Morir– v. to die

Niño-n. child

Padre– n. father

Peronísmo-n. the name for Perón’s

political philosophy, centered around

tenents of government control and

social justice.

Peso-n. Argentina’s money unit, similar

to the dollar.

Tener- v. to have. ―they have‖=―tienen‖

Tiranizado-n., adj. literally,

―tyrannized.‖ This word is used to refer

to people who are oppressed.

Trabajador-n. worker

Vivir-v. to live

¿QUÉ SIGNIFICA…?

Can you figure out what these phrases mean? (Answers appear below.)

1. Evita ayuda a los descamisados. ___________________________________.

2. Los aristócratas tienen mucho dinero. _______________________________.

Answers: 1. Evita helps the shirtless ones. 2. The aristocrats have lots of money.

The story of Evita Perón does not end with her death. To the contrary, her death was

only the beginning of a saga even more unlikely than the events of her life.

After Eva died, Buenos Aires was flooded with descamisados from all over Argentina

wanting to pay their last respects to their beloved First Lady. In order to accommodate

all of the mourners wishing for one last look at their Santa Evita, the body had to be

preserved. The task fell to Dr. Ara, a physician and expert embalmer. His method of

mummification involved replacing all the blood in the body with glycerin, thereby

preserving the internal organs and rendering a lifelike appearance. He became obsessed

with the work, keeping detailed diaries of the process and compulsively inspecting the

cadaver he considered his magnum opus.

The government planned to construct a monument honoring Eva Perón, but the plans

fell through. Without Evita to act as emotional intermediary, Juan Perón quickly lost

power. The country was nearly bankrupt, and inflation was steep. Branches of the

armed forces undertook a military coup and in 1955, three years after Evita’s death,

Juan Perón was forced into exile.

The new government feared a resurgence of Peronist

support. The leaders determined that the only sure

way to prevent a mummy-inspired insurrection was to

remove Eva’s body from politics—and Argentina. The

HER BODY DISAPPEARED FOR

SEVENTEEN YEARS...

President collaborated with the Catholic

Church to devise a plan to secretly move

Eva’s body out of the country. No one—not

even the President himself—was to know its

whereabouts. In a covert operation involving

decoy coffins and transcontinental transport,

Evita’s body was disposed of indefinitely.

Seventeen years later, in the 1960s, a

radical group called the Montoneros rediscovered the doctrines of Peronism. They

violently demanded Juan Perón’s reinstatement and the return of Eva’s body to

Argentina. At last, Eva’s body was recovered. It had been hidden in a cemetery in Italy,

buried under a false name. The mummy was unearthed and returned to Juan Perón, who

was at that time residing in Spain and plotting his return to Argentina. Surprisingly, the

body suffered little damage from the wear and tear of its journey. Its hair was damp

and its nose slightly disfigured, but largely the mummy was intact. Reportedly, Juan

kept Eva’s body laid out on his dining room table until the time was ripe to go back to

his home country.

Peronism momentarily revived, a victorious if elderly Juan

Perón and his new wife Isabel returned to Argentina with

Evita’s body. Perón served another term as President with

his third wife acting as Vice President. However soon after

assuming the Presidency, Juan died. Without a strong

figurehead, the Peronists one again were out of power, and

once again the new government had to deal with the

problem posed by Eva’s body. Instead of hiding the corpse

as the previous Junta had done, the new wave of rulers

interred Evita in an underground vault in

the famous Buenos Aires cemetery La

Recoleta. They gave the only key to the

vault to Eva’s surviving sister. The outer

grave is accessible to the public, but the

inner chamber housing the body is off

limits. At last, Evita’s body has found a

resting place among her people.

Founded in 1976 and enjoying its thirty-fourth season, Arkansas Repertory Theatre is

the state’s largest non-profit professional theatre company. A member of the League

of Resident Theatres (LORT D), The Rep has produced more than 280 productions

including forty world premieres on its 354-seat MainStage and 99-seat black box

SecondStage located in its historic building in downtown Little Rock. Robert Hupp,

Producing Artistic Director since 1999 when founder Cliff Fannin Baker retired, leads

staff, artists and a twenty-eight member Board of Directors, who serve as

ambassadors to the community and govern The Rep’s fiduciary growth and

operations. With an operating budget of $3.1 million, The Rep relies on season

subscriptions, special events, foundation support, corporate and individual

donations, and National Endowment for the Arts and Arkansas Arts Council funding.

With a staff of 33 including resident

designers, technicians and

administrators, The Rep also employs

guest artists from across the country

to produce works—created,

rehearsed and built in downtown

Little Rock—that range from

contemporary comedies and dramas

to world premieres to the classics of

dramatic literature. The Rep’s

auxiliary groups, Friends of The Rep

and Young Professionals, contribute

time and energy to support the

theatre through ushering,

fundraisers, and organized events to bring new people into The Rep. In addition to

the more than 70,000-100,000 patrons who experience The Rep’s work annually,

THE ARKANSAS REPERTORY

THEATRE

OUR STORY

community support includes more than 400 volunteers who usher for The Rep’s

productions. The Rep also frequently engages in co-productions with other regional

theatres and such local organizations as the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and

Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts.

Educational and outreach programming has been integral to The Rep’s mission

throughout its 33-year history. Through statewide educational tours, a MainStage

student matinee series, an apprenticeship program, residencies, workshops, the

Summer Theatre Musical Intensive which brings young artists together for two-week

sessions culminating in musical theatre performances on the Rep’s MainStage, cross-

curricular study guides, and artist-to-student mentoring in workshops and arts-

intensive residencies, the components of The Rep’s outreach supplement and

augment the students’ standard curriculum and offer experiences that enhance

creativity and the overall learning experience.

OUR MISSION

Arkansas Repertory Theatre exists to create a diverse body of theatrical work of the highest

artistic standards. With a focus on dramatic storytelling that illuminates the human journey,

The Rep entertains, engages and enriches local and regional audiences of all ages and

backgrounds.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions or comments concerning this production of Evita or the Arkansas Repertory

Theatre, contact our offices at (501)378-0445. Additional information may also be found at

www.therep.org. The Box Office may be reached at 1-866-6THEREP.

WORKS CONSULTED &

FURTHER READING

eda, Jorge G. ero: the Life and Death of Che Guevara. New York: Vintage, 1998. Print.

"Evita (1996)." Box Office Mojo. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://boxofficemojo.com/

movies/?id=evita.htm>. "Evita (1996)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 04 June 2010. <http://

www.imdb.com/title/tt0116250/>. "Evita." Sir Tim Rice. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://www.timrice.co.uk/evita.html>. Fraser, Nicholas, and Marysa Navarro. Evita. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print. Gans, Andrew. "Is Evita Revival Heading to Broadway? - Playbill.com." Playbill:

Broadway, Off-Broadway, London News, Listings and Tickets. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://www.playbill.com/news/article/137223-Is-Evita-Revival-Heading-to-Broadway>.

Lewis, Colin M. Argentina: a Short History. Oxford: Oneworld, 2002. Print. MacLachlan, Colin M. Argentina: What Went Wrong. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2006.

Print. MacLachlan, Colin M. Argentina: What Went Wrong. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2006.

Print. Page, Joseph A. "Introduction." Introduction. Evita: In My Own Words. New York:

New, 1996. 1-46. Print. Perón, Eva. Evita: In My Own Words. Trans. Laura Dail. New York: New, 1996. Print. Rock, David. - n. Berkeley,

Calif. [u.a.: Univ. of California, 2006. Print. Walsh, Michael. Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works : a Critical Biography.

New York: Abrams, 1997. Print.