After many months of grueling rehearsals, forced abandonment of friends and even food to sing and dance their hearts out day after day, the Dartmouth Glee Club finally got the chance to strut its stuff. This past weekend, the group performed Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Evita" to sold out crowds in Spaulding Auditorium, wowing everyone from community members to students and even some visiting parents. The musical tells the tale of a second tier Argentinean actress' rise to power in the 1940s as the wife of the Argentinean dictator Juan Peron. Evita became the love of Argentina with her championing efforts for the poor and for women's rights. The tale was made popular with the 1996 big-budget film starring Madonna; however the Glee Club, with its student-run production, put Hollywood to shame.
"Performing a musical like Evita is a bit unconventional for a college glee club, but we all enjoyed it and put on a good show, both musically and theatrically," Glee Club President Joe DiMaria '05 said.
Sarah Ries '04, who brought the musical to the Dartmouth campus, conceived of "Evita" for her senior honors thesis.
"When I set out to choose a musical, I wanted something that was musically challenging, with a strong female lead and with a historical component that could appeal to the Dartmouth community," Ries said.
Ries, playing the title role, found the part particularly well-suited for her voice. With her unique style and voice, Ries satiated the audience's hunger for a quality musical performance, never faltering once even though she sang in nearly every number during the two-hour performance.
Ries' resemblance to the actual Evita Peron was particularly striking. Ries seemed to capture the very air of this great woman, parading on stage as if she really were the great mystical woman adored by her entire country. Huge black and white photographs chronicling her life helped conjure this air. The photos, corresponding to the time period on stage, lent a timeless class to the production. However, for a brief time, the photos went from classy black and white to a Andy Worhol-type of image, with vibrant yellows and blues selectively added. This shift was unexpected and quite unnecessary, serving only to distract the audience from the delightful performers.
Patricia Kelly '08 was of particular note. Cast as a mistress , when Kelly sang she seduced the audience with her beautiful voice. A conversation with her parents revealed that Kelly had been ill and thought she would not be able to perform; however, luckily for the crowd, she recovered and wowed them with her number "Another Suitcase, Another Hall." This number was among the finer ones in the musical. Audience member Christian Littlejohn '05 agreed, remarking that her performance was the "highlight" of the show.
"And the Money Kept Rolling In," a scene which involved a wider range of the Evita cast, came in at a close second. The key aspect of this feature was a snazzy dance number which extended across the entire stage. The large group of performers broke into two groups and began to dance to each other, while maintaining an energetic melody. Even from the far end of the auditorium, audience members could tell that the performers were quite thoroughly enjoying themselves and that their smiles were real.
Later, "High Flying Adored" thrust raw talent into the audience's face. Resonating his sultry voice throughout Spaulding, guest artist Christian Figueroa, cast as Che Guevara, made the audience tremble in their seats with the intensity of both his sheer talent and the zeal he projected. Figueroa captured the onlookers' attention every time he emerged onto the stage with the amount of presence he projected; it was quite unfathomable. All eyes were fixated on him, especially the female eyes.
"In the end, we have a production that breaks boundaries, academically and musically. It's been a life-changing experience," Ries said.
Indeed, life-changing for all who were involved and for all who were fortunate enough to see its production.
