Sunday, May 20, 2012

No one should EVER Trash Madonna in Evita again. Ever!

Elena Rogers stars in Evita now on Broadway.  If you wonder why she wasn't' nominated for a Tony - see the show.  And wonder no more.
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She hits a good 80% of her notes - a pretty good percentage for a High School Production.  Not really Broadway percentages.
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And I don't know where it played in London - I HOPE the Chocolate Factory - which is tiny.  Because she cannot play a big room.
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When she isn't screechy, she is shrill.
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Now, she does have a lot of energy, I'll give her that.  But, then again, so do 5 year olds.  Or meth addicts.  And I don't want them screwing up Evita either.
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And that accent...  honestly, it was good we all know the words, because you couldn't understand her.
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This line..
"Tell me before you ride off in the sunset...
Before joining the forgotten brigade...."
.. was just painful to try to listen to.  I mean it is kind of cool she is from Argentina, but Ricky Martin is from Puerto Rico and he has the politeness to sing in an understandable English.  If you can't understand her, don't cast her.
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Her cause wasn't helped a lot by  a re-write that cut vast swathes of the show.  At one point, she insists on being Vice President and immediately collapses on floor in the same breath.  I admit, I burst out laughing at that.  But she lost me hours before that point.
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And - if you have seen it - what was the hideous mash-up of songs at the end?!  Yes, the original kind of rattles to an end - but THAT was not the solution.
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Clearly Patti LuPone or Elaine Paige haven't seen this, because they would have laughed her off the stage and saved us all.
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"Have I said too much?
There is nothing more I can think of to say to you..."
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Then stop, for the love of God, stop singing and let someone else finish the show.