‘Evita’ Still Has Plenty of Sizzle Left

Before the movie version takes over the public’s notion of what “Evita” is all about, the Theater League is offering another look at the dynamic stage musical that generated the film. Now in Thousand Oaks and next week in Glendale, this “Evita” demonstrates again how transfixing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best show can be.

Unlike much of his later work, “Evita” conspicuously lacks the sense that crowd-pleasing was the first priority. Indeed, Tim Rice’s lyrics offer sardonic commentary on a master crowd-pleaser--Eva Peron. There’s plenty of sizzle in “Evita,” but it’s from the story and staging, not the scenery, and the ending is quiet and sobering.

Of course the crowds didn’t turn away from “Evita.” It was a giant hit. And it has been staged so many times in the Southland--often with the same leads who are in it here--that it’s hard for directors to do anything new with it.

At Probst Center in Thousand Oaks, the director-choreographers are Don and Bonnie Ward, the San Diego team who ran Starlight Musical Theatre for 12 years, staging “Evita” twice in the Starlight Bowl, where it had to compete with overhead airplanes. It must seem like a luxury for them to stage “Evita” under a roof. They take no great liberties with the original Harold Prince staging.

Eva Peron’s early years seem slightly mechanical here, with Valerie Perri--who first played the role 15 years ago--not especially convincing as a 15-year-old.

However, Perri’s performance and the production itself take flight in the always-seductive backstage scene when Eva sets her sights on Juan Peron. He’s played by David Wasson, who gives the man more credit for intelligence than some of the interpretations I’ve seen.

Perri is superb in charting Eva’s overweening ambition and her eventual fall. It’s a testimony to the show’s power that we’re touched by Eva’s decline even as we agree with the criticisms offered by Che. John Herrera’s Che has a bit more twinkle and less stridency than some other Ches.

* “Evita,” Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.: today, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. (805) 583-8700, (213) 480-3232. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale: Tuesday-May 11, 8 p.m.; May 11-12, 2 p.m.; May 12, 7 p.m. (800) 233-3123. $32.50-$35.50. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes.