'Evita' opens Sonoma Arts Live 2017 season

'Eva Peron was the Kim Kardashian of her time,' says theater director Lauren Miller. Peron, of course, is the real-life title character of the musical 'Evita.' The show, which Miller is directing, opens this weekend at Andrews Hall, officially kicking off the 2017 season of Sonoma Arts Live.

'Like the Kardashians,' Miller adds, 'Eva instinctively knew how to use the media to her advantage. She was a genius at it.'

Miller, not surprisingly, has spent the last several weeks thinking about what made the former first lady of Argentina tick. Contradictory, controversial and yet deeply beloved by her people, Eva – nicknamed Evita by her fans – was the wife of Juan Peron, Argentina's President from 1946 to 1955, and for 10 final months from October, 1973 until his death in July, 1974. Eva herself died of cancer in 1952, her funeral drawing the largest crowd of mourners in her country's history. Twenty-four years later, in 1976, her tumultuous life was set to music when Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the creators of 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' unveiled their catchy concept album 'Evita,' adapting it to the London stage two years later. The rest, as they say, is history.

''Evita' has become a major 'Bucket List' show for theater people,' says Miller. 'Evita, Juan Peron, the narrator, Che – these are dream roles for so many actors and singers. But because of the show's complexity, not many companies are brave enough, or crazy enough, to tackle it.' Enter Sonoma Arts Live.

'The show was originally planned as a kind of 'concert version,'' says Miller. 'But what we've ended up with, though somewhat stripped down, is very much a full production, with gorgeous period costumes, professional singers and actors, everything.'

In translating the show to the medium-sized stage at the Sonoma Community Center, Miller has cut some of the larger dance numbers, deliberately putting focus on the Rice's storytelling and Webber's intricate, rock-fueled, world-hopping music.

The set, Miller says, will consist mainly of scaffolding, for what she calls 'a kind of timeless, industrial feeling,' with added multi-media elements providing specific historical context. Scene changes will be made by the actors themselves, who will also be fully visible as they change costumes and prepare for their entrances.

'We are telling a story,' Miller says, 'and our props and costumes and sets are part of that story, so we're not hiding any of that.'

A four-piece band, under the direction of John Partridge, will support a cast of nine performers, including Sonoma's Ellen Toscano as Eva, vocalist Michael Conte as Peron, and Robbie Dornaus as Che.

'It's a pretty small cast for a production of 'Evita',' says Miller of her decidedly minimalist approach.

By taking the focus off the usual spectacle, Miller hopes to shift the audience's attention to the beauty and timeliness of the story, an exploration of ways that political movements are influenced, for good and bad, by the power of personality.

'Yes, it takes place in Argentina in the '50s,' Miller says, 'but this is a show that is timeless and universal. It's about the media and star-power, and how people are manipulated by political systems. It's about what's happening in our country right now, and has already happened in other places all over the world. Eva Peron, in a lot of ways, was the world's first political star, and her 'fairytale story' was very much supported, and exploited, and spread wide by the media.'

Miller, who serves as director of admissions and advancement at the Presentation School in Sonoma, has directed plays in New York and other cities, working with a number of professional companies.

'Evita' marks her first production with Sonoma Arts Live. But it's not her first time working with leading lady Toscano, who spent a decade as a feature performer with San Francisco's 'Beach Blanket Babylon' variety show.

'I've known Ellen all my life,' says Miller. 'She's a very dear friend – and she's an incredible singer. Ellen's going to be awesome in this.'

Sonoma Arts Live has dubbed its 2017 season 'Women Who Dare,' programming a series of plays, from classics to world premieres, all with strong female protagonists.

''Evita' is the perfect show for Sonoma Arts Live to launch this season with,' Miller says. 'The timing is so perfect. Our show is opening at a time when everyone knows a woman almost made it to the highest seat of power in our country. This season is all about women who dare, who takes chances, who refuse to be silent, who believe in their own potential and refuse to let the labels they've picked up define who they are.

'If that doesn't describe Eva Peron,' she laughs, 'I don't know what does.'

Email david.templeton@sonomanews.com.