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The Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical opening tonight at Sydney Laurence Theatre tells the story of a woman with humble beginnings who rises to political power by winning the hearts of common folks through beauty, charm and ambition. Sound familiar?
Theatre Artists United and Alaska Theatre of Youth scheduled their production of "Evita" long before Gov. Sarah Palin rose to national prominence, but the timing couldn't be better. "We had tried to mount this production in the spring, and it didn't work," said Steven Alvarez, music director for Theatre Artists United. "It is serendipitous, coincidental or ironic that we are mounting this production at the same time that this is happening on the world stage.""Evita" presents the life of Eva Peron, who rose to wealth, power and sainthood in her homeland of Argentina. Though the musical takes place long ago -- from the 1930s to '50s -- it deals with many of the issues cropping up in today's presidential campaigns. "I think anybody who is really attuned to what's going on nationally with our governor can't walk away without noticing the similarities," said Alvarez, who plays the narrator Che, a young student. Christian Heppinstall of TAU and ATY noted that Peron and Palin "both came out of small-town structures and challenged the male political authority. They both used their beauty and electrified crowds and became early stars."Politics aside, doing the musical fulfills one of Alvarez's dreams. He grew up with Lloyd Webber and Rice musicals and considers them influential in his career as a musician and performer. He played Jesus in the local production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in 2005, a role that forced him to convey aspects of the human and divine while recognizing the preconceptions of people in the audience."Evita" presents an entirely different challenge, he said. He grew a beard and cut off 8 inches of his hair, for one thing, but he also gets to reach farther as an actor. "Che can be sarcastic, cutting and critical," Alvarez explained. "He has the opportunity to present the story. Playing this role allows me to explore more variety in terms of character." At the same time, Alvarez wonders how much he is simply playing himself. "I think I have the same attitude toward people in authority," he said. "I'm always the wiseass, always critical of poor leadership. But the role has really allowed me to grow as a stage performer."He also admires the complexity and brilliance of Lloyd Webber's music. "This score is probably two to three times as difficult as 'Superstar,' " he said. "It's like Lloyd Webber had matured as a composer. He was just throwing all kinds of things out there musically -- bitonality and constant meter changes and weird melodies that run over the harmonic structure."He has to step away from piano while he and the cast of 35 dancers and singers bring "Evita" to life, however.Though blessed with incredible music and charismatic characters, "Evita" presents only one side of the story, he said. "As I've researched it, I've learned that there were a lot of wonderful things she (Peron) did for people, which is why she is so revered, but this show really shows the dark side of politics and money."That's where ambition, deception, earnestness, cynicism, love and disillusion all round out the political rainbow. When Eva sings "Rainbow High" with saucy flair, she knows what her people want -- and why she wants it too. "I came from the people, they need to adore me/ So Christian Dior me from my head to my toes/ I need to be dazzling, I want to be rainbow high/ They must have excitement, and so must I."