‘Evita’ examines Argentinian history, culture

“Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Buenos Aires” are popular tunes that students will hear while attending the Tony-winning Broadway musical “Evita” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the IU Auditorium.\nWith music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, “Evita” is based on events surrounding the rise to power of Juan Peron, the former president of Argentina, and chronicles the life of Eva Peron, a poor Argentinean artist who married Peron and becomes the spiritual leader of Argentina. \n“Evita” originated on Broadway in 1979 and was turned into an Academy Award-winning movie in 1996.\n“‘Evita’ is a classic,” said Ruth Parcover, the marketing director of Troika Entertainment. “It is a different type of musical; it is a lot darker and is loosely based on (Eva Peron’s) life.”\nPhil Peterson, who plays Juan Peron, is thrilled to be involved with a show that is both historical and entertaining.\n“It is a wonderful experience to be a part of this production; this is my fourth show with the company and has been one of my favorite shows to perform for quite a few years now.”\nFreshman Anna Loach plans to attend the show.\n“I saw the commercials on TV, and it looked like a really good show,” freshman Anna Loach said. “I have heard of (‘Evita’) before, but I didn’t know very much about it. I figured I would see it because they give you a discount on tickets at the auditorium.”\nWith a grueling tour schedule, actors in the company travel by bus 100 to 500 miles a day, Peterson said. Bloomington is the company’s 12th stop on its 2008 tour.\n“This is the 2nd year (‘Evita’) has been on the road,” Parcover said. “The first year we hit smaller cities and now we are moving to the larger ones. The schedule varies and has a good mix of cities.”\nFor actors auditioning to be in the show, casting directors look for performers who embody specific characters. Peterson said about 600 people auditioned for the company and only 25 were chosen to go on tour with the show.\n“Auditions consist of singing, dancing and reading some lines. If they like you then you get the job,” Peterson said. \nGetting ready for a show of such high standards, actors are expected to be both prepared for their roles and well-versed in the show’s history.\n“Getting ready for a show takes a lot of preparation,” \nPeterson said. “I did a lot of research on my character and the time period that the story takes place. We are always practicing music and memorization. It is non-stop.”\nStudents wanting to buy tickets can purchase them through Ticketmaster or at the Auditorium Box Office. Tickets range from $19-40 for students and $37-59 for the general public.\n“Seeing Evita on stage is not comparable,” Parcover said. “(The actors) have such a presence on stage. When you are in college you should see different things culturally and this is a great opportunity.”