PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Bucks County Playhouse is celebrating Latin American history with its latest play, “Evita.”
The classic musical follows the life of Argentina’s former first lady, Eva Perón, a famous and complicated figure.
“She finally gets the fame she’s always wanted. Money, class, platform, love,” said actress Gabriella Enriquez, who plays the lead role.
Photo credit Joan Marcus
“But with that, you then see that she starts to be absorbed by wealth, fame, and there’s a darkness and corruption.”
“Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” is one of the main songs in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s show and its most famous tune, one of the most famous songs recorded by Madonna in 1996.
“How can you cry for someone who has done so much damage?” Enriquez asked. “But also how can you not, seeing as how no one person can change the whole system.”
The show is known for its spectacle, but this production is stripped down to an intimate setting inside a tango bar.
“Tango is a lower-class art form,” Enriquez said. “It all takes place in a tango bar, where it’s the 10th anniversary of Eva’s death, and all her followers gather in this bar to ritually retell her story, to remember and honor her.”
Photo credit Joan Marcus
Enriquez said the show has been an opportunity to celebrate Latin American culture with their audience and honor it within the all-Latino cast.
“There’s an unspoken understanding between each other that creates a sense of safety, where you don’t have to explain your customs or your culture,” she said, “and just make all those customers part of the unspoken dialogue, you know . . , it’s really special.”
“Evita” is on stage now through Oct. 30 at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope.
